Synagogues re-evaluate security in wake of Pittsburgh shooting

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER

aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

When congregants of Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood gathered for services a week after the mass shooting at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, they might have noticed an increase of security with an armed guard at the shul.

The synagogue has always had an off-duty law enforcement officer in the vicinity which it shared with one of the neighboring synagogues, Rabbi Binyamin Blau said.

However, this was the first time Green Road Synagogue hired its own armed guard. Blau did not disclose if an armed guard will be present at future services. In an email sent by the synagogue regarding security and safety, a member of the synagogue’s safety and security committee will continue to carry walkie-talkies and/or cell phones to stay connected to Jewish Federation of Cleveland security personnel, which has been in practice at the synagogue.

The decision to have a guard strictly for Green Road