By COLlive reporter
In the wake of the threat against Shuls in New Jersey on Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell called a virtual meeting on Friday to brief and reassure leaders of Jewish communities in New York.
Over 400 leaders of Jewish communities joined the meeting with Mayor Adams and members of law enforcement, who updated participants on security measures and of the arrest of the individual who made what the FBI had warned was a “credible” threat.
Mayor Adams noted that the New York Jewish community is the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel, and said that he has been at the forefront of fighting antisemitism in the city. The Mayor said that New York law enforcement takes these types of threats very seriously.
NYPD Chief of Intel John Galati updated on the arrest of the perpetrator of the threat, and said that the individual is known to law enforcement.
Law enforcement described him as a man who may have an intellectual impairment. They also said he reported being bullied in the past, NBC News reported.
Devorah Halberstam, anti-terrorism expert, NYPD Hon. Commissioner for Community Safety, and Police Liaison told COLlive.com the individual who made the serious threats is a minor.
“Sadly, the person is a juvenile, and this speaks to the hatred that is being spread through social media during this time,” Halberstam said. “Unfortunately even celebrities and sports figures have incited antisemitic hatred in recent weeks,” she said.
Halberstam said the united response from Law Enforcement agencies was “unprecedented.”
“In the past, the FBI did not reach out to the community to warn them of threats. This is the first time the FBI publicly reached out to the community to warn them, allowing them time to prepare and respond, making sure our communities, Shuls and Centers are safe,” Halberstam said.
“This incident was certainly a teaching moment for law enforcement and our entire community, reminding us that we have to pay attention at all times, we can’t take our eyes off the ball – and it’s all in the details,” she said.
Inspector Richie Taylor, NYPD Community Affairs Bureau, thanked the NYPD Commissioner and the Mayor for their responsiveness and efficiency.
“The working relationship between the Mayor’s Office, the NYPD and the Jewish community has never been stronger. Mayor Eric Adams has put together an incredibly strong and dedicated team,” Taylor said. “Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, Deputy Commissioner of Community Affairs Mark Stewart and Mayoral Senior Advisor Joel Eisdorfer set the tone of responsiveness and efficiency.
“We are very fortunate to have a Mayor who knows what it’s like to be a police officer and who truly understands how important public safety is. I thank Mayor Eric Adams for his leadership in initiating this Zoom call with over 400 Jewish community leaders and for his tremendous support of the NYPD. As the Mayor said, we have to be proactive and not reactive,” Inspector Taylor said.
