The shooting of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., after a Jewish event Wednesday highlights the struggle American cities face trying to protect Jewish citizens and landmarks, which have repeatedly been targeted by radicals and terrorists over the years.
Anti-Jewish hate crimes have soared to record highs, according to the Anti-Defamation League, citing FBI data. Massacres include the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in 2018 and the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack Hamas launched on Israel.
Large police departments, like the NYPD, have been focused on target-hardening efforts to improve safety in and around Jewish landmarks for years.
“Unfortunately, over the decades, special attention has had to be paid when there is a Jewish or Israeli theme to these locations and events,” said Paul Mauro, a retired NYPD Inspector. “This was only heightened after 9/11, after the Tree of Life murders in Pittsburgh, after 7 October – after so many others.”
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In New York, police have visibly beefed up their presence outside synagogues, the Israeli consulate and the Big Apple’s own Jewish Museum.
When there’s even the perceived chance of a threat, the department will routinely beef up security around Jewish landmarks in the city. Some have a visible police presence all year.
“The good news is that NYPD knows how to do this and, while nothing is perfect, they have developed great expertise in this area — often thanks to best-practices gleaned from partner agencies around the world,” Mauro said.
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Many other departments have adopted the NYPD’s protocols.
Whenever attacks take place, police around the country are quick to announce increased patrols near places of worship.
Despite years of police efforts, attacks continue, including a shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night.
The 31-year-old suspect, Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, is accused of fatally shooting two Israeli Embassy workers from behind after they left an event sponsored by the American Jewish Committee.
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Mauro told Fox News Digital that visible security measures may have influenced the decision to attack outside the venue rather than within the building.
“The fact that the story is that he was pacing around out front, and that the event was going on right there, and then he decided to do it outside?” he said. “He traveled all the way from Chicago to do this?”
He noted that the venue and organizers did have some security measures in place. The invitations were encrypted and limited. At least one off-duty MPD officer was inside for security.
The officer, who was wearing a police vest, may have scared the suspected gunman from opening fire inside the building, he said.
“I think he saw the security and said, ‘I’m better off not going in there and getting shot myself,'” Mauro speculated. “He didn’t decide to shoot it out. He decided to pull a Mangione. He wanted to live.”
Luigi Mangione, a 27-year-old Ivy League grad turned suspected killer, is accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson from behind after stalking him in Manhattan. He allegedly had a manifesto outlining his disdain for the health insurance industry in his backpack when police arrested him at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s days later.
A possible manifesto from Rodriguez was being investigated by the FBI to verify its authenticity, Deputy Director Dan Bongino revealed on X Thursday.
The Jewish community has also taken its own measures to increase security.
Texas resident David Katz, a former DEA agent and the CEO of the Global Security Group, uses his expertise on active-shooter response to train Jewish volunteers to protect their own synagogues on the side.
“I can’t believe, still, that someone could be pacing in an agitated manner outside a major Jewish institution and no one challenges the guy?” he told Fox News Digital. “No one calls the police to even interview him?”
An outside presence is a key aspect of security that Katz teaches, he said.
“In my synagogue, one of the volunteers would simply go out and say hi,” he explained. “Engage the person and see how they respond. You look for body language clues while scanning for concealed weapons. We would have back-up volunteers ready to act. Everyone is armed and everyone is trained.”
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