Kol Ami News

Jewish congregations in Utah are spending more than ever on security amid an increase in antisemitism locally and nationwide after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the resulting retaliation in Gaza.

Rabbi Samuel Spector of Salt Lake City’s Congregation Kol Ami said his community has upped its spending on security to roughly $500,000 this year — much of it on hiring off-duty police officers.

Additional investments have included dozens of security cameras and other security upgrades to the facility, including new doorways.

There are signs that these efforts are paying off, Spector said, explaining that his congregation discovered one person complaining online that he or she wanted to vandalize the synagogue but hadn’t found an opportunity due to the tightness of security.

“Unfortunately, this is our new normal now,” Spector said, explaining he had recently visited synagogues in Boise and Montgomery, Alabama, that were making similar investments.

In Salt Lake City, Spector said he has been bombarded by threatening emails, social media posts and phone calls since Oct. 7. In that time, his congregation has faced four bomb threats and, on multiple occasions, people have driven through his synagogue’s parking lot shouting obscenities.

The rise in antisemitism faced by Utah’s synagogues coincides with an uptick across the country.

The Anti-Defamation League reported in January a 361% leap in what the organization calls “antisemitic incidents” — from verbal harassment to physical assault — nationwide between Oct. 7, 2023, and Jan. 7, 2024, when compared to the same period a year before.

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