New York City Ups Synagogue Security After N.J. Threat On Heels Of Kanye West, Kyrie Irving Antisemitic Rhetoric

Topline

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) said Friday the city will devote more police to protecting Jewish “houses of worship” over the weekend following a reported threat to synagogues in New Jersey, which came after a series of high-profile antisemitic remarks from rapper Kanye West and basketball star Kyrie Irving.

A resident walks by a synagogue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Borough Park on October 7, 2020, in … [+] New York City.

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Key Facts

Adams tweeted Friday the move is being taken “out of [an] abundance of caution” and the city is not aware of any “credible threats” against the Jewish community at this time.

The Newark FBI office reported “credible information of a broad threat to synagogues” in New Jersey on Thursday afternoon, but said in an update Friday there was no longer “a danger to the community” after agents reportedly identified and interviewed the individual who made the threat.

Adams held a call with around 300 Jewish leaders in the city Friday afternoon, telling them the city wants to be “proactive” rather than “reactive” in response to more blatant antisemitism, according to Jewish news outlet the Forward.

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“The insidious rise of blatant antisemitism in recent years, with vicious lies and hate spread by voices of bigotry and intolerance, must never be ignored,” Adams tweeted.

Tangent

A bomb squad was deployed Friday to Temple Beth-El in Birmingham, Alabama, after an “alarming” unattended backpack was found at the the Jewish house of worship, which has faced a series of threats recently. Authorities reportedly cleared the area Friday afternoon. It was not immediately clear if the backpack posed a genuine threat.

Key Background

Jewish civil rights groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, have voiced serious concern that antisemitic remarks from West and Irving might prompt more outward hate against Jews, and there’s already evidence that’s happening on Twitter. The ADL reported Friday that a “4chan-driven campaign” to flood Twitter with antisemitic messages and memes since billionaire Elon Musk bought the platform last week “has increased in volume,” with the campaign garnering more than 16,000 mentions as of Friday. But Musk insists content moderation measures are still in place, and the platform removed a profane, antisemitic tweet from West on Friday morning. The rapper appears to be doubling down on his antisemitic behavior after losing most of his business empire during the past month after major brands, including Adidas, ended their partnerships with him. The Nets, meanwhile, suspended Irving for at least five games Thursday after he refused to apologize over promoting an antisemitic film on Twitter. Irving issued an apology on Instagram after the suspension, saying his tweet “contained some false antisemitic statements, narratives and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibly for my actions.”

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