Volunteer Security Group Calls for Jewish Institutions to ‘Heed the Call’ After Vandal Attacks LA Synagogue and Kosher Restaurant
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by Benjamin Kerstein
Evan Bernstein (l), now head of the Community Security Service (CSS), on the scene in Jersey City in the wake of the shooting at a kosher market in Dec. 2019. Photo: CSS.
A national volunteer Jewish security organization called on US Jewish leaders to prioritize security following three antisemitic incidents in Los Angeles.
The Young Israel of Century City synagogue on Pico Boulevard was attacked at 1 a.m. last Friday, by a man described as wearing a red cap, the Los Angeles Times reported. The windows were shatter-proof, which prevented the attacker’s concrete projectile from breaking the glass.
The attacker then smashed a window at Pat’s Restaurant, a kosher steakhouse nearby.
“We will not be frightened by any act by anyone,” Elazar Muskin, leader of the Young Israel, said Friday. “There’s no place in our society, and this country created and built on the principles of freedom of religion, for such acts of vandalism and of hate.”
Evan R. Bernstein — CEO and National Director of the Community Security Service (CSS), which works to protect Jewish institutions — said on Sunday, “We call on all Jewish institutions — regardless of affiliation — to heed the call to encourage its members to take basic steps towards becoming involved in volunteer security.”
“The nature and consistency of the antisemitic incidents that are targeting Jewish communities across the country tells us vividly that more eyes and ears on the ground are needed,” he asserted.
The latest incidents come after other antisemitic attacks in Los Angeles, including the harassment of restaurant patrons and an Orthodox man by anti-Israel thugs.
Bernstein added, “As a community, we have to take a more proactive approach by furthering the notion that security is everyone’s responsibility.”
Steven Silver, the CSS Los Angeles Volunteer Regional Manager, said, “These incidents show that antisemitism continues to target our community institutions. This is why we need to prioritize security.”
The attacks were part of a national pattern that has seen Jews and Jewish institutions attacked across the US during and after Israel’s 11 day war with Hamas earlier this month.
