San Antonio, TX – Temple Beth-El canceled Shabbat services in-person and online on Saturday, July 9, due to security concerns that threaten the safety of San Antonio synagogues. The national FBI office said it is investigating a threat that was made.
The synagogue received information from experts that the safety for conducting services on Saturday is “not optimal,” according to a statement posted to Temple Beth-El’s Facebook. The statement from temple leadership said that the synagogue is partnering with local law enforcement and the FBI to monitor the environment.
The statement did not go into detail on the nature of the security concern that pushed the community to cancel Shabbat services. The FBI said in an emailed statement Saturday that it is investigating a potential threat “targeting an unidentified synagogue in Texas.”
“We are working to determine the credibility of the threat and sharing information with our law enforcement partners and our partners in the Jewish community. We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI field office, or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov.“
Debbie Roos, president of Temple Beth-El, said Tuesday that synagogue leadership is always in contact with the Jewish Federation of San Antonio and law enforcement to ensure the safety of the community and the congregation. But temple leadership has been in contact with them for about a week regarding this specific threat.
She didn’t provide the full specifics of the potential threat, saying those details are best left to the FBI and law enforcement to divulge. However, she said the information leadership received was enough to determine that holding service on Saturday was not safe.
Roos said that it is “sad and heartbreaking” that the Jewish community can’t practice its traditions nor hold Shabbat service.
