(RNS) — American Jewish communities are rushing to bolster already heightened security around their institutions and businesses after the May 21 killings of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
The attack in Washington “solidifies that we cannot be lax” about security, said Avram Klein, general manager of Seasons, a popular kosher supermarket in Queens, New York.
“When you go food shopping you shouldn’t have to worry about your safety and whether to bring your kids with you,” Klein said.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre that triggered the Israel-Hamas war and a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents worldwide, the store has installed additional surveillance cameras and hired onsite security guards, Klein said.
Sarah Milgrim, 26, an American Jew, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, an Israeli Christian, were gunned down in the street outside the museum, where they had just attended an event sponsored by the American Jewish Committee about ways to increase humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, was caught on film shouting “Free, Free Palestine,” while he was being arrested, and said he killed the couple “for Gaza,” according to media reports. Israel has been accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, which Israel vehemently denies.
The day after the attack, which the FBI labeled “targeted antisemitic violence,” 44 Jewish organizations called on Congress and …