Kol Ami News

SALT LAKE CITY — On a chilly Wednesday evening in late November, over 60 people gathered in the sanctuary of Congregation Kol Ami, Utah’s largest Jewish synagogue.

It seemed like any other night at the synagogue, with congregants exchanging warm greetings and admiring the large, nine-branched silver menorah perched on the altar, shined to a sparkle in anticipation of the upcoming Hanukkah holiday, which began on Dec. 2.

But as the congregants’ chatter hushed to begin the night’s agenda, they were faced with an unfamiliar sight — one that seemed completely out of place in the warm, light-filled sanctuary.

Before them stood not a rabbi in front of a prayer book, but two armed police officers in front of a PowerPoint screen, the words “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT!” splashed in bold black letters across the first slide.

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