BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jewish leaders here in Western New York say right now that there is no imminent threat to the Jewish community following Thursday's shooting outside of a synagogue in Albany.
There are a lot of holiday gatherings for Hanukkah this weekend, from special dinners to a party for young adults, so 2 On Your Side caught up with one of the leaders of the Buffalo Jewish Federation on Friday to find out how they're handling security in light of Thursday's shooting.
We spoke with Lauren Bloomberg Friday afternoon about how the Buffalo Jewish Federation is reacting to Thursday's shooting in Albany.
"We are just confident in the safety that we provide for all of our events," said Lauren Bloomberg, Director of the Holocaust Education Resource Organization with the Buffalo Jewish Federation.
Bloomberg says there is no imminent threat to anyone in the local Jewish community as they work with police to keep it that way.
"We are so grateful to the local law enforcement. We have a wonderful partnership with all law enforcement here in Buffalo," said Lauren Bloomberg.
And even if you don't see security, they are there.
"Absolutely, every one of our events, you are absolutely safe attending, there is always security precautions in place," said Lauren Bloomberg. "There are no imminent threats here. We are completely safe and just be very cautious of your surroundings. If something doesn't feel right, reach out, but we are completely safe here in Buffalo."
Bloomberg also shared her thoughts about Thursday's shooting outside a synagogue in Albany where no one was hurt and police have already made an arrest.
"We are saddened to hear that, you know, any sort of threat or hate incident hurts us deeply. We are celebrating the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah, which started last night at sundown. It's eight nights and we just want, with all this darkness, we want to just bring light into the world in our community," Bloomberg said.
