Security concerns within the local Jewish community are growing, following a deadly attack outside of a synagogue in the United Kingdom on Yom Kippur.
Two Jewish people were killed, and several others were injured after a man rammed his car into a crowd outside of a synagogue in Manchester and stabbed people. The suspect was shot and killed by police.
LEARN MORE | Deadly rampage on Manchester synagogue declared terrorist attack by police
The violence has put local Jewish community members in the Seattle area on edge just days before the Oct. 7 anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
“I’m always aware, wherever I am, thinking about my security,” Michele Bat-Or told KOMO News.
A reported rise in antisemitism globally after Oct. 7, 2023, has left local Jewish people, like Bat-Or, feeling at risk.
“I usually wear a Jewish star necklace, and I changed to a different symbol,” she continued, “That feels a little bit too unsafe to wear a Jewish star around my neck.”
The victims in last week’s synagogue attack have been identified as Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53.
U.K. Police are now investigating their murders as a ‘terror attack.’
“There is a sense of fear amongst our board, amongst our congregation, but all that being said, we are a strong people,” said David Shujman, president of Herzl Ner Tamid on Mercer Island.
Shujman told KOMO News the attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, has only heightened existing fear.
Herzl Ner Tamid has recently increased armed security presence, heightened screenings of congregation members or others entering its campus, and utilizes an incident report system to track any issues.
“I’ve never been so anxious in my life getting ready to go to shul, to temple, to pray,” Shujman expanded. “And, it shouldn’t be that way, but it is.”
Bat-Or, who attends Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle, said her synagogue has added similar safety measures, utilizing both trained, security professionals and a team of volunteers.
Her temple has even started preparing congregation members for a worst-case scenario.
“We have had evacuation drills in the synagogue during services. We have maps and we practice, when it’s a crowded synagogue, where to go if we need to,” Bat-Or said.
But the added security measures, while considered necessary for people’s safety, come at a high cost.
“Jewish people have been coming together and funding all of these needs, but it’s not sustainable,” Shujman told KOMO News.
As need grows, Shujman said so does the toll on local congregations.