Rogers Park mosques, synagogues on alert after Bin Laden’s death
Posted by loyolastudentdispatch on May 2, 2011
Mosques and synagogues in Rogers Park and West Rogers Park are on a heightened security alert today following the killing of terrorist Osama bin Laden at the hands of U.S. special forces, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Here is a portion of the Tribune story:
The Chicago Police Department is paying closer attention to mosques and synagogues, particularly in the Rogers Park and West Rogers Park neighborhoods, areas that have large Jewish and Muslim communities, following the death of Osama Bin Laden.
The actions are being taken as a precaution and “there is no known terrorist threat in the city of Chicago,” said Roderick Drew, spokesman for the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Some Chicago synagogues said they’re not enhancing security because they’re always on high alert.
“The reality is that because of Osama bin Laden and other terrorists. . .we have been instituting additional security for a very long time,” said Rabbi Leonard Matanky, of Congregation KINS in West Rogers Park.
“They forced us 10 years ago to … increase security and to do things we never thought we’d need to do,” said Matanky, who is also the dean of the Ida Crown Jewish Academy, also in West Rogers Park.
But Matanky said the congregation and school are more vigilant today and relying on police, who are keeping an eye on the neighborhood.
“I know the Chicago police have done a great job in the past any time there are more threats for the Jews or anyone,” said Koppel Schwarcz, an employee in charge of security at Congregation Chesed L’Avrohom in the West Rogers Park neighborhood. He said there are no additional security measures in place today.
“We’re not doing anything specifically right now,” he said. “All our specifics are made for these kinds of thing.”
