Israeli, Jewish community joined by supporters in solemn vigil
10/11/2023 09:38:47 AM
SALT LAKE CITY — Tuesday night, Utah's Jewish and Israeli communities and supporters stood in solidarity on the front patio of Congregation Kol Ami to mourn the thousands of lives lost in the Hamas attack on Israel.
"Innocent people who aren't soldiers could be just taken away from this world are being held against their will and a lot of them don't know where they are. This feels different," said Gabrielle Larsen, a local Israeli who served her country years ago.
Zoe Wood, another local Israeli, says when she first saw the news from Israel, she didn't believe it was real.
"As the time passing by, we understand the massive, massive, massive slaughter, human slaughter that happened there. It's beyond comprehension," Wood said.
Both Larsen and Wood have spent the last few days praying for peace in their home country. Tuesday night, they were joined by dozens in prayer, song, and loving support to help mend those broken hearts.
"It's more than knowing singing — it's knowing one another, it's knowing you have a community you can rely on. Even if you don't know the person standing next to you, you can rely on them," Wood said.
Rabbi Sam Spector says the past few days have been a whirlwind for the Israeli and Jewish communities, but the support they've seen since Saturday has shown them they are not alone
"We're all here together for freedom and for peace, and there's no amount of terrorism or violence that's going to scare us or stop us from that," said Rock Larsen, Gabrielle Larsen's husband.
State and local leaders like Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall attended in solidarity. Members of the Israeli and Jewish communities took the podium, pleading leaders and supporters to not let their communities face this heartache alone.
"This is a concern to anyone who cares about human rights," said one podium speaker. "I'm asking you this as a big sister who wants to hug her little sister in fear and take some of her pain away. I'm asking you this as a daughter who wishes she could relieve her parents of unimaginable concern."
Utahns gather to show solidarity with Israel
10/11/2023 09:34:38 AM
Utahns gathered at Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night to express solidarity and support for Israel in light of the ongoing attacks by Hamas militants and retaliatory strikes by Israel.
Kol Ami Rabbi Sam Spector was joined at the event by Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. Dozens of people gathered outside the synagogue in mourning of those killed in the terrorist attacks.
Earlier Tuesday, President Joe Biden in an address from the White House said 14 Americans were among at least 1,000 people killed in the attacks and that Hamas militants were holding other Americans hostage.
Rabbi Avremi Zippel of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah reported Tuesday that Lotan Abir, a 24-year-old Israeli who recently relocated to Utah, was killed in an attack Saturday.
Hamas terrorist attack is Israel’s 9/11, Utah rabbis say
10/09/2023 01:11:10 PM
The culmination of Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, is ordinarily a joyous occasion for Salt Lake City’s Congregation Kol Ami.
But this year, in light of the large-scale terrorist attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel on Saturday, the mood at Sunday morning’s service was solemn.
“This year, because of what happened in Israel, it was already a more somber occasion, less festive than usual. We didn’t feel like celebrating with what occurred. And then this threat came in during the service,” said Rabbi Samuel Spector, referring to an anonymous bomb threat he received by email Sunday morning that forced an evacuation.
The threat was a hoax but it compounded the anguish of Kol Ami’s congregation, already mourning the mass loss of life in Israel resulting from the terrorist attack waged by air, sea and on land. According to The New York Times, some 900 Israelis have been killed, while the Israeli Government Press Office said Monday more than 2,600 have been wounded since the start of the assault on Saturday on its social media pages. Another 150 people have been taken hostage.
“Terrorism is nothing new to Israel, but we’ve never seen anything of this magnitude. While 3,000 people died on 9/11, more than 700 died from the events that took place on Saturday. If you were to look at what Israel’s population is, compared to the United States. proportionally, that would be the equivalent of 24,000 people in America being killed,” said Rabbi Spector.
“So this really is for Israelis, a day that will live in infamy, and their equivalent of 9/11 or Pearl Harbor,” he said.
Multiple Utah synagogues receive bomb threats
10/08/2023 04:24:41 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — The Congregation Kol Ami synagogue had to evacuate during its Simchat Torah morning service after they received a bomb threat late Sunday morning.
Rabbi Sam Spector tells FOX 13 News they received the threat via an anonymous email around 10:30 a.m. This led the congregation at the Salt Lake City synagogue to interrupt their service and evacuate to Tanner Park, down the road from the synagogue at 2660 East Heritage Way.
The building has since been cleared by Salt Lake City Police. It's one of three Jewish institutions in the city they have had to search, and may be part of a number of threats made against Jewish institutions throughout the state.
"The Salt Lake City Police Department is aware of unspecified threats directed toward several Jewish intuitions throughout Utah, including two locations in Salt Lake City," SLCPD said in a statement. "Currently, no further information is available as the investigation is ongoing. Since Saturday morning, the Salt Lake City Police Department has increased its patrol presence at the synagogues and Jewish Community Center in Salt Lake City."
SLCPD found nothing suspicious. However, they say will continue to have increased patrols in the area of the three buildings.
Ogden Police confirmed that Congregation Brith Sholem also received a bomb threat Sunday. The synagogue told FOX 13 News that their threat came in an email and was the same as those sent to other synagogues across the state. Police responded and a bomb squad swept the building, confirming that there was no bomb.
Gov. Spencer Cox responded to Sunday's threats with a statement, saying: "We stand with unwavering support for Utah’s Jewish community. Acts of terrorism will not be tolerated and are unconscionable."
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill added: "We are with our Jewish brothers & sisters. You are not alone, you have friends, allies & a community with you."
“Antisemitism is not a new thing, and yet, Judaism provides a beautiful message of how to treat others with kindness how to make our world a brighter, better place in moments of darkness," Spector said.
He says whenever there’s conflict in Israel, the United States sees a rise in antisemitism.
“Fortunately, we had Salt Lake City Police Department here already," he said. "We have to do that for all of our services given the rise of antisemitism here in the United States.”
With antisemitism on the rise, Utah Jews beef up security for ‘Super Bowl’ of holidays
09/15/2023 07:22:31 AM
Utah Jews have spent weeks preparing their homes, their synagogues and their lives for High Holy Days, which begin Friday with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, and end 10 days later with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
It is a time of celebrating and greeting, praying and preaching, renewing and reflecting, forgiving and being forgiven.
For Rabbi Samuel Spector of east Salt Lake City’s Congregation Kol Ami, it is the “Super Bowl” of Jewish holidays.
Sadly, it also has become a time for all rabbis to worry about security at their synagogues amid a rise in antisemitism.
“We have to hire two or three police officers for all our services,” says Spector, adding that they are held “pretty much around the clock.”
Larger congregations, including the one he served in Los Angeles, have full-time security officers, but Kol Ami cannot afford that.
The congregation is spending a half-million dollars in the next few years to beef up the synagogue’s security features, including a wall around the sacred structure’s perimeter, ballistic film on the windows and additional cameras.
While Kol Ami hasn’t experienced any violent attacks, it has received threatening emails, calls and letters.
“We want to prevent people who should not be in the building from getting in,” he says. “It’s a sad reality that is happening all over the country.”
Two years ago, a swastika was etched into the glass entrance door of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah, a synagogue in Salt Lake City’s Sugar House neighborhood.
Antisemitism is “not worse here than other places,” Spector says, “but we are not immune.”
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