Members of Beth Sholom who showed up to Rosh Hashanah services Wednesday were greeted by the unaccustomed sight of a security detail with metal detectors and a San Francisco Police Department squad car.
Normally, the Richmond synagogue allows walk-ins during holidays, but this year, non-members were not permitted without registering beforehand. According to Madeline Vidibor, COO of the synagogue, the heightened security will continue Monday, the anniversary of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, and into Yom Kippur.
“We will have additional security on Oct. 7, because there have been calls for a day of rage,” said Vidibor, referring to rhetoric by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal. “Going into the high holidays, it’s the first year that we’re in a constant state of heightened security. We’re trying to strike a balance between being welcoming and making sure we’re extra vigilant and keeping the building locked down.”
Private security guards, police presence, metal detectors, and surveillance have increased across San Francisco synagogues and other Jewish institutions as the community enters the high holidays against the backdrop of the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza and the broader region.
While Beth Sholom has been spared direct threats of violence, it has received antisemitic phone calls, emails, and letters, according to staff. It’s one of many synagogues in the city working with the SFPD to increase police and surveillance presence during Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the anniversary of Oct. 7.
According to an email shared with The Standard, the FBI’s local division is working with the SFPD to identify concerns.
“FBI is fully engaged in working to keep our shared communities safe. At this time, there are no known threats in our area,” the email reads.
Hamas killed some 1,200 Israelis and took more than 240 hostages on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s invasion of Gaza by land and by air has killed more than 41,595 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. In the U.S., antisemitism and Islamaphobia have risen both nationally and locally as Israel has come to the verge of war with Iran over volleys of missile fire.
The Bay Area has been a unique battleground for political rhetoric around the conflict. Richmond was the first U.S. city to pass a cease-fire resolution, followed closely by San Francisco and several other Bay Area counties and cities.
The Jewish Community Federation is a city-based nonprofit with a security arm that provides consultation for emergency preparedness and grant applications for security to synagogues across Northern California. The federation also acts as a liaison between synagogues in San Francisco, police departments, and the district attorney’s office.
Molly Jozer, the federation’s community security advisor, said applications for funds have surged by 300% since Oct. 7 as synagogues have bolstered security measures in the face of rising antisemitism.
“We’ve seen graffiti of ‘Death to Jews,’ ‘Don’t trust Jews,’ ‘Israel is the apartheid state,’” said Jozer. “In the Bay Area specifically, what makes us very different from other areas is that we have a very activist population. The ability to develop grassroots movements in the Bay Area is something I’ve never seen, and it works in good and bad ways.”
Congregation Emanu-El, one of California’s largest and oldest synagogues, had a noticeably large security presence for Rosh Hashanah services Wednesday. State Sen. Scott Wiener and mayoral candidate Daniel Lurie were among those attending evening services.
Prior to Wednesday, the congregation’s executive director emailed members, alerting them to new security measures. “Procedures are continuously updated to stay ahead of potential dangers,” the message read. “You will notice some of these measures, such as extra police, guards and other safety personnel, while others are designed to remain discreet.”
Security cars were stationed around the synagogue, while a scrum of guards stood indoors beside a metal detector.
But attendees said they did not want the threat of violence to keep them from observing the holiday with members of the community.
“It’s important to just show up,” said Kentfield resident Aaron Braun, a second-generation member of Congregation Emanu-El. “Because if you stay home and everybody’s hiding under their covers, you lose, they win. Fear and intimidation is what it’s all about.”