Report: Fearing Antisemitic Attacks, Dozens of New York Rabbis Ask De Blasio for NYPD Protection of Yeshivas
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by Eliezer Sherman
New York Police Deparment vehicle. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Twenty four rabbis sent a letter to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio calling for heightened security at Jewish schools, the New York Daily News reported on Tuesday.
The letter calls for the city to support a bill that would allow religious schools to request NYPD safety agents to fit their needs.
Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov of Queens expressed concerns that antisemitism could transform into violence and be directed against Jewish students.
Last week, the NYPD noted a rise in antisemitic crimes this year so far as compared to the same period in 2014, though most of those crimes were not violence directed against individuals.
“We live in a crazy world where even our children are not safe. If you want to attack with the greatest damage, a religious school would be a target,” said Nisanov, according to the Daily News.
Some 110,000 students in New York City attend yeshiva schools, the Orthodox Union said, according to the Daily News, and these schools must hire their own security personnel.
The city legislation would allow private religious schools to benefit from the same security as public schools. Rep. David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) wants to include city funding for religious-school security in the New York budget, which de Blasio will sign off on in July.
