The scene from the fifth floor of the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston following Monday's Boston Marathon bombings. Photo: Kevin Goodman.

While the aftermath of the terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon continues to unfold, Jewish leaders in Boston and Israel have expressed shock and sympathy for the victims.

Jeremy Burton, executive director of the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), told JNS.org, “I’m very shocked; it’s a horrible moment for our community. It’s a tragedy for the entire Boston community. It hit all of us together in a city that we love on a special day like Patriot’s Day.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has connections to Boston from his days as a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, sent his condolences to President Barack Obama and the American people after the Boston Marathon attack.

“A day of joy became a day of terror, I send my condolences to President Barack Obama, the American people and the bereaved families. Today, like everyday, Israel stands shoulder to shoulder with the American people,” Netanyahu said at an event at the President’s Residence in Israel, Ynet reported.

Israel’s top diplomat to Boston, Consul-General Shai Bazak, said he was shocked that such an attack could occur in a peaceful city like Boston.

“It took time to believe that it was a bomb attack,” Shai Bazak told the Jerusalem Post. “Boston is a very quiet and calm place, especially when we come from Israel with all its complex reality.”

As the investigation continues into who was behind the attack, the Boston JCRC’s Burton told JNS.org that the Boston Jewish community hasn’t taken any additional steps to protect its members and institutions beyond normal security protocols.

“The network of Jewish agencies in Boston have been advised to check their security protocols. But there has been no communication from security officials here to suggest that there are any specific threats against the Boston Jewish community,” Burton said.