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Rabbi Yitzchok Adler of the Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford is working with Father Edward Moran of St. Thomas the Apostle Church to foster an interfaith alliance. (Stephen Singer / Hartford Courant)

By Stephen Singer
The Hartford Courant

On the first Sabbath after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 congregants dead, Jewish community leaders nationwide have invited friends and neighbors of all faiths to join their services as a rebuke to fear.
     For two congregations on either side of a residential street in West Hartford, coming together for the national #ShowUpForShabbat initiative this weekend is only natural.
     Rabbi Yitzchok Adler of Beth David Synagogue and the Rev. Edward Moran of St. Thomas the Apostle Church have worked together for four years, meeting for discussions, lectures, Bible studies — using both the Old and New Testaments — and just for visits.
     Members of the two congregations also maintain a community garden on the synagogue campus, with vegetables donated each summer and fall to soup kitchens and shelters.

Members and Friends of Beth David

Following the tragic events in Pittsburgh this past Shabbat, the topic of security at the synagogue is high on the list of priorities for us all. This note to the community is to provide members with a behind-the-scenes look at the activities of our Security Committee. I will provide a brief update on additional security measures being implemented in the short term, as well as a glimpse of more longer-term planning.

However, before going into too many details, I would like to lay out the objective of this notice. The attack on the community at Tree of Life can have two possible effects. The first is that people stay away due to fears for their security. The alternative is that we heed the AJC's call to #ShowupforShabbat and show up in greater strength with a heightened resolve that we will not be cowed by the actions of a coward. The objective of this notice is to provide the community with the confidence to choose the communal path.

Our Security Committee is headed by Dr. Peter Lang, who provides expertise and leadership gained through security training and performance of security roles in synagogues in Mexico City. The committee met this Monday evening and is in the process of evaluating enhanced protocols and performing short, medium and long-term planning for additional protocol and infrastructure improvements to our building.

Over the past year, we have already installed and rolled out multiple security tools, the details of which I will not lay out here for hopefully obvious reasons. We have also secured further funding from a Homeland Security grant which will enable us to strengthen those areas that the committee, in cooperation with local police and national security organizations, find to be deficient.

Starting this Shabbat, the lobby entrance will be staffed during Friday evening and Shabbat morning by a group of Shomrim, volunteer members of our community some of whom have had additional external training.  The Shomrim will control access to the synagogue and will address, question and intercept individuals who do not look familiar.  The Shomrim will be visible to all and have non-specified capabilities to deter, react and communicate both internally and to the authorities as necessary.

As the enhanced protocols evolve over the coming weeks, the community will be kept informed and education will be provided as necessary to ensure that all know what to do in case of a security event.

As you come to shul this Shabbat, as I hope you all will, please follow their instructions and be reassured that significant changes are coming that will benefit us all.

Daniel Schneider
President - Beth David Synagogue

Check out the Jewish West Hartford Video! 

We’re glad you found us.

Beth David is the largest orthodox synagogue in the greater Hartford area. For more than 70 years we have been a center of Jewish cultural and spiritual activity for hundreds of families, thousands of people and untold numbers of visitors and friends.

Members come from all over the world and from diverse Jewish traditions to form a friendly, committed and engaged congregation.  We are proud to be part of a thriving and energetic Jewish community in a remarkable town astride the Red Sox/Yankees divide (our Rabbi, a Braves fan, is above that fray), convenient to Boston and New York, home to renowned research, education and medical facilities, with urban amenities and rural tranquility all within easy reach.

If you're planning a visit, please be in touch so that we may welcome you and show you what our community and synagogue have to offer.  Click here to let us know when you'll be in town.  If you're already local, please fill out our Contact Us located in the box to the right.  We look forward to meeting you! 

In the meantime, we welcome you to take a look at this film clip to get another glimpse into what we are all about here at Beth David.  The Making of BDS Welcome Video.

Our ritual committee members stand ready to connect you with whatever Jewish learning interests you have. Strengthen your synagogue skills, learn Torah or Talmud, find a study partner or a mentor. Contact Galya Greenberg to get started.

West Hartford Community Television:  View "Journeys with Jeff"  interview with Rabbi Adler at Beth David Synagogue.