February 16, 2015
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Boston Jews express ‘sense of anguish’ By: Jack Encarnacao Boston-area Jews are feeling a “sense of anguish” over the latest attack on European Jews in Copenhagen, while terrorism experts are advocating heightened security and a former U.S. defense secretary called for violence by radical Islamic groups like the Islamic State “to be met tooth and nail.” Rabbi Ronne Friedman of Temple Israel of Boston, said the targeted violence in Copenhagen and the murders last month of four Jewish men in a kosher deli in Paris is “a real problem for Europeans and for the Jews of Europe.” He cited a “sense of anguish” in Boston’s Jewish community. In a dramatic plea, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called yesterday for the “massive immigration” of European Jews to Israel following the Copenhagen shooting, saying Israel is the only place where Jews can truly feel safe at a time of rising anti-Semitism in Europe. Meanwhile, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told CNN’s “State of the Union” yesterday the United States needs to ramp up its response to the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, and any terrorism carried out in the radical organization’s name. He called for every ISIS act to be “met tooth and nail with everything we’ve got.” “It’s important to understand that this is not an enemy that you can kind of stand aside and not confront,” Panetta told CNN. “If we stand aside, if we don’t get aside, if we don’t provide leadership, unfortunately no one else will.” Bradley Schreiber, a former senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security and a vice president at the Applied Science Foundation for Homeland Security in New York, said in the wake of the Copenhagen attacks, “all Jewish organizations should take a look at their emergency response plans and their security posture in order to ensure that they have the best level of security that would be appropriate.” Schreiber warned that with Muslims as a growing impoverished population in Europe, “I think that you’re going to see an uptick in what we could call ‘lone wolf’ and coordinated cell attacks going forward, unless some of these governments take a more dramatic role in trying to address a lot of the social ills that are facing the Muslim community in their own countries.” Friedman, who is active in interfaith circles, said it’s crucial for religious leaders to stress that not all Muslims are fairly lumped together. “We’re very much aware of the fact that there are terrible actors in every culture, from every religion,” Friedman said. “The issue for those of us who are fair-minded, good citizens is to ensure that the reaction doesn’t spill over, and those who ought not to be incorporated in any sense of blame for the actions of the fanatics (are not).” |
