MILLCREEK, Utah — The fiery antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado over the weekend has shaken Utah's Jewish community, with congregations looking at how to increase security and ensure safety.
An Egyptian national faces 16 counts of attempted murder after he threw Molotov cocktails at people marching for Israeli hostages.
“This person, who I will not name, planned it for a year,” said Ron Zamir, who serves as the vice president of community relations for the United Jewish Federation of Utah.
“Those are my absolute worst nightmares as a rabbi, because I see my community in each of those communities,” said Rabbi Sam Spector with Congregation Kol Ami.
Spector came to Utah to lead the Millcreek synagogue seven years ago.
“Kol Ami means ‘all my people,’ and that’s really what we try to embody,” Spector said. “We have people from over 30 countries who come to our synagogue, people who vote across the political spectrum.”
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Spector said he simply wants to celebrate the diverse faith community he leads. But amid these violent incidents, other thoughts have come to mind.
“Why does this keep happening? When will this stop?”
In 2018, Spector says security was an afterthought here when he first moved in.
“Then the Pittsburgh shooting happened, and I asked our community, 'What makes Salt Lake City any different?'” Spector said.
The Boulder terror attack happened on the eve of a Jewish holiday.
“Today is the holiday of Shavuot,” Zamir said. “The holiday where the Jewish people receive the Ten Commandments. It’s the holiday that makes us who we are as Jews.”
Within Congregation Kol Ami, they’re still on guard through the holiday.
“We had programming until 11:30 at night and we had security there for all of that,” said Spector. “That, unfortunately, comes at a large expense to our congregation.”
While those are off-duty officers, Salt Lake City Police say they want to do their part.
“We’re going to continue evolving as a police department,” said Sgt. Miles Southworth with SLCPD. “We’re going to try to learn all we can from all the events that are happening around the country to help keep the community members in Salt Lake City safe.”
While congregants may be concerned, these Jewish leaders say they shouldn’t hide their faith.
“This is the time where we come together,” said Zamir. “We don’t stop being Jewish. We don’t stop having our Jewish events.”
Salt Lake City Police encourage people to keep their eyes open for any criminal activity. For members of the Jewish community, they say to reach out to law enforcement if they’re feeling unsafe for any reason.
