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Jewish Institutions Bolster Security Ahead of High Holidays as Experts Warn of Heightened Threat
Anti-Israel protesters target a synagogue in Queens, New York on July 14, 2024. Photo: Screenshot
Amid a continuing surge in antisemitic hate crimes, Jewish institutions in the US have beefed up their security measures for the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which this year fall around the one-year anniversary of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.
The heightened security efforts also come as Israel expands its operations against the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon and vows to respond to a massive missile attack from Iran, the chief international sponsor of both Hamas and Hezbollah.
Although there are no indicators of specific imminent threats against Jewish institutions, law enforcement officials have warned that “lone wolf” agitators could spark violence in the upcoming days.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) ramped up patrols around Jewish institutions on Monday. The police department will also monitor for potential explosive devices at bridges and radiation detection.
Police departments in other major US cities such as Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Philadelphia have also indicated that they will increase patrols surrounding Jewish institutions and houses of worship in an effort to prevent potential antisemitic violence from breaking out. Officials belonging to police departments across the country have stated that they hope bolstering security measures will quell anxieties among local Jewish community members.
Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism, told The Algemeiner that although the organization has not detected any threats against Jewish houses of worship, they should be prepared for the possibility of an attack.
“What we have previously told Jewish institutions is that at this time, there is no known credible threat to the Jewish Community in the US,” Segal said. “Accordingly, we are advising institutions to remain open and operational throughout the upcoming High Holiday season. However, given the heightened tensions and increased risk to the community at this time, we recommend institutions review and implement a series of security precautions and procedures.”
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on Wednesday at sundown. Yom Kippur, considered the holiest day in Judaism known as the Day of Atonement, commences next Friday at sundown. Together, they are known as the High Holidays.
A slew of anti-Israel activist groups have organized demonstrations for Monday to commemorate the anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. These groups have routinely — and erroneously — referred to the Oct. 7 onslaught, the largest single-day slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, as the beginning of a so-called “genocide” in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Anti-Israel groups such as Writers Against the War on Gaza, Incite! Palestine Force, and Samidoun have organized demonstrations in the upcoming week to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians. Another such organization called Within Our Lifetime is calling on its supporters to go “all out for Gaza” on Oct. 7 by skipping school and work to participate in a mass protest.
The expected surge in anti-Israel demonstrations during the Jewish high holidays, combined with the looming anniversary of Oct. 7, has some experts worried over the safety of Jews.
“The Jewish community is facing the most significant threat towards the community in modern history,” Kerry Sleeper — deputy director of intelligence and information sharing for the Secure Community Network, a consultancy for the national US Jewish community — told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). “The combination of High Holidays, the 10/7 anniversary, and now the potential for the world’s largest terrorist organization [Hezbollah] to exact revenge on either Israeli facilities, embassies, or consulates, or prominent Jewish leaders or prominent Israeli leaders anywhere in the world.”
Some experts fear that individuals tied to Hezbollah, which is Iran’s chief proxy force, could seek to execute an attack on American soil against the Jewish community. US agencies have foiled potential terrorist attacks by Hezbollah members in recent years and warned of potential future threats from sleeper cells.
The fears stem in part from Israel’s recent operations in Lebanon decimating Hezbollah’s top leadership. The Jewish state has also initiated ground operations in Lebanon with the reported goal of establishing a buffer zone between the two countries after Hezbollah has spent the past year attacking northern Israeli with drones, missiles, and rockets, forcing tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes.
Jonathan Schanzer, a vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JTA that Jewish citizens of less “security minded” countries within Europe and Latin America are more at risk of a Hezbollah attack than those residing in the United States. However, Schanzer said he “wouldn’t rule out an attempt to cross into the United States, or an effort to activate cells that are already here.”
Security concerns also stem from the global surge in antisemitism since the Oct. 7 massacre, which unleashed a tsunami of anti-Jewish hate that has seen several countries around the world, especially the US and European nations, record record levels of antisemitic incidents.
Last week, for example, a new report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) showed that anti-Jewish hate crimes in the US spiked to a record high last year, and American Jews were the most targeted of any religious group in the country.
The FBI data came after the ADL released a report in April showing antisemitic incidents in the US rose 140 percent last year, reaching a record high of 8,873 outrages — an average of 24 every day. Most of the incidents occurred after Oct. 7, during the ensuing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
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Surge of Antisemitic Incidents Rocks France Amid Growing Security Concerns
The Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint last weekend. Photo: Screenshot
France has been hit by a wave of antisemitic incidents in recent days, despite increased security at Jewish sites nationwide following last month’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, DC — prompting urgent calls from the country’s Jewish community for stronger government action amid growing fears of escalating violence.
On Friday, a French rabbi was violently assaulted by three drunken individuals in the town of Deauville, located in the Normandy region of northwestern France.
According to local police, Rabbi Eli Lemel — a prominent figure in French Jewry — was attacked around 3:30 pm by three men who approached him, repeatedly punched him in the stomach, and shouted antisemitic slurs.
French authorities have launched an investigation into the assault, but no arrests have been made so far.
After the incident, Lemel called on the Jewish community to draw spiritual strength amid the increasing hostility that Jews are facing across France.
“I’m deeply moved by the outpouring of support following the attack. Thank God, I’m okay,” the Jewish leader wrote in a post on X. “I was struck and verbally abused in a language I didn’t understand.”
In a separate incident, a 21-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after climbing a synagogue in the town of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine in north-central France, removing an Israeli flag from its façade, and attempting to set it on fire.
According to local media, the suspect — who was already known to authorities for prior offenses — confessed to committing the attack and admitted to being intoxicated at the time.
French police confirmed that the man is being charged with trespassing in a place of worship, theft by climbing, and causing damage to property on religious grounds.
The local Jewish community has voiced deep concern following this incident, viewing it as part of a broader surge in hostility targeting Jewish institutions across France.
Sandrine Dos Santos, the city’s mayor, expressed “[her] solidarity, as well as that of the city, toward the Jewish community directly targeted by these unacceptable antisemitic acts.”
“Faced with the increase in violence, our commitment against discrimination remains unwavering and will not waver. We repeat it loud and clear: no form of racism or rejection of others has a place in Poissy,” the French leader said.
In a separate incident on Saturday, three Serbs were arrested near Antibes in southeastern France, suspected of painting several Jewish community buildings green in Paris — an act currently under investigation as possible foreign interference.
Last weekend, the Paris Holocaust Memorial, three synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant were all vandalized with green paint in an incident denounced by the French government.
On Monday, an elementary school in Lyon, east-central France, was set on fire and defaced with antisemitic and pro-Palestinian slogans, as well as swastikas, marking one of the latest antisemitic incidents to impact France in recent days.
As the school had no direct connections to the Jewish community, local police have launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the attack.
French authorities reported that the fire was limited to the outdoor bathrooms, causing no significant damage to the school. They also found antisemitic graffiti and swastikas in three classrooms.
Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), denounced the attack, saying that “the Palestinian cause is used as justification for burning down a school” and that the “Nazification of Israel serves as fuel for crass antisemitism.”
“When a populist pro-Palestinian narrative is allowed to take hold, it is French Jews who ultimately pay the price,” Arfi wrote in a post on X. “The twisted use of the Palestinian cause is turning into a rallying cry of hatred against both Jews and the Republic itself.”
Voilà où nous en sommes !
La cause palestinienne sert de justification pour incendier une école
Quand on laisse gagner un discours populiste propalestinien, ce sont les Français juifs qui en paient le prix.… https://t.co/dMaQBnbfqi
— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) June 1, 2025
Beyond France, other European countries have also experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents in recent weeks.
On Monday, several headstones were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in a suburb of Belgrade, located in north-central Serbia, marking the second such incident in the country in recent weeks.
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US Vetoes UN Security Council Demand for Gaza Ceasefire
Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, as seen from Israel, June 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The United States vetoed a UN Security Council demand on Wednesday for an “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the enclave.
“The United States has been clear we would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the council before the vote.
“This resolution would undermine diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire that reflects the realities on the ground, and embolden Hamas,” she said of the text that was put forward by 10 countries on the 15-member council.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favor of the draft resolution.
Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. It has renewed its military offensive in Gaza – also seeking to free hostages held by Hamas – since ending a two-month ceasefire in March.
The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people in Israel in an Oct. 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave.
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Trump Picks Lawyer Who Called Oct. 7 Attack a ‘Psyop’ to Lead Federal Watchdog Agency
Paul Ingrassia. Photo: Screenshot
Paul Ingrassia, a 29-year-old lawyer who was recently nominated by US President Donald Trump to lead a federal agency dedicated to combating corruption and protecting whistleblowers, seemingly dismissed the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2o23, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel as a “psyop,” or “psychological operation, in resurfaced social media posts.
“This ‘war’ is yet another psyop to distract Americans from celebrating Columbus Day,” Ingrassia wrote on X/Twitter on Oct. 8, 2023.
“I think we could all admit at this stage that Israel/Palestine, much like Ukraine before it, and BLM before that, and covid/vaccine before that, was another psyop,” he posted a week later. “But sadly, people fell for it. And they’ll fall for the next one too.”
On the actual day of the Oct. 7 massacre, Ingrassia compared illegal immigration into the US to the Hamas-led onslaught.
“The amount of energy everyone has put into condemning Hamas (and prior to that, the Ukraine conflict) over the past 24 hours should be the same amount of energy we put into condemning our wide open border, which is a war comparable to the attack on Israel in terms of bloodshed — but made worse by the fact that it’s occurring in our very own backyard,” he posted. “We shouldn’t be beating the war drum, however tragic the events may be overseas, until we resolve our domestic problems first.”
Trump announced last week that he picked Ingrassia to serve as head of the US Office of Special Counsel, a position that requires confirmation by the Senate.
The Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal ethics agency that works to ensure fairness and accountability within the government. Ingrassia’s role, if he is confirmed, would involve investigating claims of wrongdoing, such as retaliation against whistleblowers or improper political activity in the workplace. The official can recommend disciplinary action and reports serious findings to Congress, helping to protect federal employees and uphold the integrity of the civil service system.
Ingrassia also maintains a relationship with and defends alleged sex trafficker Andrew Tate, who has promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media. Tate wrote on X/Twitter that he refuses to “listen to women, Mexicans, or Jews” and that Jewish people are “subverting Western populations into mass genetic suicide” by advancing what he described as misguided immigration policy. Tate has also accused Israel of committing a “genocide” in Gaza against Palestinians and engaged in Holocaust denialism.
The furor surrounding Ingrassia is the latest dustup the Trump administration has had regarding controversial personnel and antisemitism.
The Trump administration’s appointment of Kingsley Wilson as deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense also sparked widespread criticism due to her history of promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories and extremist views. Wilson, formerly associated with the Center for Renewing America, has a documented history of social media posts endorsing white supremacist ideologies, including claims about the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank — a Jewish man whose wrongful conviction and subsequent murder galvanized the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. In 2023, she tweeted that Frank “raped & murdered a 13-year-old girl,” a statement aligning with neo-Nazi narratives.
Late last month, the Pentagon announced that Wilson will be promoted and serve as the department’s new press secretary.
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