LAPD ramps up patrols as Jewish communities mark anniversary of Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Police Department stepped up its patrols Monday as the Jewish community gathered to mark the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
This comes as police departments across the country ramped up patrols around Jewish and Muslim institutions as a precaution in response to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, Monday's October 7 anniversary and the Jewish High Holidays.
"We do this every High Holiday season but yeah, this one feels different," said LAPD Capt. Steve Lurie. "The community feels vulnerable. They're scared, they're still mourning the losses of a year ago today, and it's an important role for our police department to be out here showing emotional support for our community, and that's really what this is all about."
In the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, LAPD's mounted unit was spotted patrolling several streets while other officers patrolled on foot.
"It's been a rough year for this community," said Dan Messinger, the owner of Bibi's Bakery and Café on Pico Boulevard. "We hold a lot. Most people here have relatives and friends in Israel, and we're holding a lot together. As far as the safety, people are concerned. They see protests in other parts of the city. We see protests here. There's sometimes graffiti."
Pico-Robertson business owners who spoke with ABC7 said the increased police presence surprised them, but saw it as a welcome sight to reassure the public that they don't have to be afraid.
"This is undeniably a Jewish neighborhood. This is part of L.A.," said Messinger. "This is part of America, but it's also Jewish, and for people to feel unsafe because they're Jewish, it doesn't seem right. It's concerning we live in a world where we have to have that kind of protection, but I'm happy the police are here and they're keeping us safe."
Police said there have been no known threats Monday. Meanwhile, dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters are set to hold rallies, marches and walkouts throughout the city.
Threats to Jews in the U.S. tripled in the one-year period since the October 7 attack, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
More than 10,000 antisemitic incidents occurred between October 7, 2023, and September 2024 - up from 3,325 incidents the prior year. That marks the most incidents recorded in a 12-month period by the organization since it began tracking threats in 1979.
"Last year, really, in modern history, is unparalleled here in our country, here in our city," said Jeffrey Abrams, the Regional Director of ADL Los Angeles. "We're feeling it. The Jewish community is feeling it in its souls and in its bones, but we also know from history, and we're in that special period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and we know from our history we've been challenged before, but our history is one of resilience, and that's the spirit as we go into today, October 7."
Since last October's terrorist attack, "Jewish Americans haven't had a single moment of respite," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. "Instead, we've faced a shocking number of antisemitic threats and experienced calls for more violence against Israelis and Jews everywhere."
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began, reports of hate crimes and bias incidents targeting Jews, Muslims and Arabs have surged across the U.S.
In April, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received 8,061 reports of anti-Muslim bias in 2023, the highest number in the 28 years the group has tracked hate.
"Many people are saying that today feels like the 1930s in Germany, but it's different," said Abrams. "It's different because the 1930s in Germany, our elected officials worked against the Jewish community. Law enforcement helped to subjugate the Jewish community. Here in Los Angeles today, we're very lucky to have elected officials who are with us and a law enforcement who works in close partnership to keep us safe and secure."
CNN contributed to this report.
