NYPD ramps up security for Passover holiday
With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the NYPD says it’s all the more reason for them to move out of an abundance of caution and ramp up security.
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It's now days away from Passover, a holiday that will be celebrated by more than a million Jewish New Yorkers.
With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the NYPD says it’s all the more reason for them to move out of an abundance of caution and ramp up security.
“It is clear that we will be in a heightened state of alert for the foreseeable future,” said Jessica Tisch, NYPD police commissioner, in a press conference. “These are perilous times, to be sure, and I know you feel the stress and the anxiety in your synagogues and your schools, your community centers, and even in your own homes. I feel it, too.”
While the time is meant to bring joy, NYPD says they’re playing their part to make sure that’s possible.
Over the next two weeks, police will be increasing its presence around synagogues and other Jewish institutions across the five boroughs.
Deployments of heavy weapons teams, K-9 units and community affairs officers in every precinct will also be present.
The NYPD says since the start of this year, antisemitic crimes are once again on the rise–as are hate crimes overall.
Those numbers also reflect the individuals in our city willing to speak up.
“They are not standing by or turning away or thinking someone else can deal with that,” said Tisch. “They are standing up for themselves, for their neighbors, and many times for people they have never met. I applaud them and everyone who steps forward and says no more.”
Only a few weeks ago in Brooklyn, a man was arrested for assaulting another man on the train while making anti-Jewish statements and removing his yarmulke from his head.
As incidents like that continue, and tensions rise in the Middle East, the extra security during Passover looks to bring a mix of comfort — and reality.
