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Dear TBZ Community and Friends,
Many of you are aware that we had a security incident during our late Kol Nidre service. We want to share what happened so that everyone in the community has the facts.
To get to the end first, we can report that the security protocols we have practiced worked well and no one was injured. We also have no reason to believe this was an antisemitic event. Regardless of the motivation, we treated it as a dangerous situation at the time and reacted accordingly.
Now the details. At approximately 9:00pm Wednesday, our security officers stationed outside heard a loud noise to the west of the synagogue and saw a green light. Thinking it was a firework, they went to investigate and found a man holding a gun, who they were able to quickly disarm. At the same time, we called 911 and the Brookline Police responded. The gun, which at first appeared to be a rifle, was determined to be a BB gun.
TBZ's leadership has trained for incidents such as this and everything was handled according to plan. After we heard the first noise we acted with utmost caution: we closed the doors to the shul (which are locked), notified Rav Claudia (who updated the congregation), and put the sanctuary on lockdown. Once the police responded, thoroughly canvassed the area, and arrested the neighbour, we were given the "all clear." At this point we updated Rav Claudia again who in turn updated the congregation and we lifted the lockdown.
It was incredibly important that the hundreds of our community members at services that night listened, stayed calm, and remained in the sanctuary throughout the incident. This prevented a second situation from developing – people rushing to leave in a disorganized and potentially dangerous way. You all did your jobs by remaining calm and listening, and we appreciate it.
From what we were initially told by police, the individual was unaware that he lived next to, and was shooting his BB gun next to, a synagogue or that it was a religious holiday. We were told he said he was shooting rats; the window of a car parked on Beacon was shot. It was potentially dangerous to use a BB gun in such a populated spot, but it does not appear to have been fuelled by antisemitism. His case will move through the judicial system now.
A big thank you to our security officers for handling this well, the Brookline Police Department for responding quickly, and all of you who listened, stayed calm, and remained in the sanctuary throughout the incident. We are grateful that no one was hurt. We will use this opportunity for "lessons learned" so that we are always refining our security protocols appropriately. Please know that our security team is vigilant, the leadership of TBZ is well-practiced and trained, and that we are prepared to respond as effectively as possible to situations like this.
Please let us know if you have questions or want to connect with us.
Best wishes for moadim l’simcha – a joyous Sukkot,
Benjamin Maron, Executive Director
Larry Kraus, President
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