Expand / Collapse search
☰

Security team keeping watchful eye on Jewish community centers in New Jersey, Delaware

Published  October 11, 2023 6:15pm EDT
World
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Security team keeping watchful eye on Jewish community centers in New Jersey, Delaware

Local Jewish communities remain on heightened alert following a barbaric surprise attack carried out by Hama terrorists in Israel that left hundreds dead.

CHERRY HILL, N.J. - Local Jewish communities remain on heightened alert following a barbaric surprise attack carried out by Hama terrorists in Israel that left hundreds dead. 

JFED Security oversees the safety of Jewish Federations in both New Jersey and Delaware, including 70 houses of worship, community centers and day camps. 

"We want to prepare, to ensure that someone in this country isn't emboldened or encouraged to commit and act of violence," William Monaghan said. 

Their force includes 40 armed former police officers and analysts who scour cyberspace for intelligence and coordinate with local authorities for potential threats. 

"There has definitely been increased conversation and chatter online within certain groups that potentially take advantage of the situation not necessarily from a violence standpoint," Monaghan said. 

FOX 29 was at the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill on Wednesday where a team of officers monitored a network of cameras surrounding the building.

"It’s obvious the antisemitism that’s running rampant throughout our country, throughout the world the need for security for the Jewish population is consistent," Monaghan said.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday called the Hamas attack "the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust," and a campaign of "pure cruelty."

The war, which has claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides, is expected to escalate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined with a top political rival Wednesday to create a war-time Cabinet overseeing the fight to avenge the stunning weekend attack by Hamas militants. Israel is now determined to crush the group’s hold in Gaza.

The Israeli military said more than 1,200 people, including 155 soldiers, have died in Israel since Saturday’s incursion. In Gaza, the health ministry says more than 1,050 have been killed and more than 5,100 injured. The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency says 250,000 people have been displaced in Gaza.

The Associated Press contributed to this report