Media reports that the decision to raise the nation’s terror-alert level was based on a surge in threats against Jewish institutions have been discounted, according to The Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations and the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
Paula Simon, MJCCR executive director, said on Wednesday that “according to the FBI, synagogues and schools are not mentioned directly in the alerts, nor have any specific threats or intelligence information about threats to Jewish institutions been received.”
This information was corroborated by the Anti-Defamation League in a memo to national Jewish umbrella organizations, which said that “No matter what you may have read, no specific threat to any Jewish institution has been uncovered.”
Richard H. Meyer, MJF executive vice president, said, “I know that all of us are very concerned about the safety and security of our Jewish community. This concern has understandably been heightened since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raised the national alert level.
“Immediately following, the MJCCR and MJF began individual and group contacts and consultations with constituent agencies located in community facilities as well as other local agencies, organizations and synagogues. We are working very hard to provide leadership and support during these challenging times.”
Added Simon, “It is important to promote a message of ‘alert but not alarmed’ and to remember the Jewish community’s ongoing commitment to vigilance and institutional security.”
The MJCCR is available to assist with security concerns and provides a security checklist for Jewish institutions. For more information, contact them at 414-390-5777.
