Shuls urged to ‘keep doors closed and locked’ amid security threats

Communities across the country are being told to “keep doors closed and locked” over Shabbat in wake of recent security threats against places of worship.

The Community Security Trust made the recommendation on Friday in a statement backed by six synagogue movements and the Office of the Chief Rabbi.

This comes after a gunman attempted to enter a shul in the east German town of Halle on Yom Kippur, but was unable to breach through the locked door.

The perpetrator killed a woman nearby after she confronted him, before driving to a kebab shop, taking another victim.

The CST statement tells shuls to “keep doors closed and locked unless you are letting known people in or out” and to “only open doors to people you are happy to invite people inside.”

It says that “terrorist attacks against places of worship are a sad reality of modern life” and that “one of the most effective ways of preventing a terrorist attack inside your synagogue is for the doors to be locked and closed.”

“It can be done by anyone and it will help save lives: exactly as happened at the synagogue in Halle, Germany on Yom Kippur, when a closed, locked door, saved dozens of lives.”

The statement is backed by The Federation, United Synagogue and Chief Rabbi’s office, as well as Liberal, Reform and Masorti Judaism, comes in the wake of a terror attack against a synagogue in Germany, Halle.

On 27 October, there will be a global ‘Pause of Pittsburgh’ memorial to mark the one year anniversary of the attack against the Tree of Life Synagogue, in which 11 Jewish congregants were murdered.

In April, another person was killed at the Chabad synagogue in Poway, California, while the rabbi had his fingers shot off.