Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said law enforcement would be providing “additional resources” to local houses of worship in response to the attack.
HOUSTON — An attack on a synagogue in Michigan on Thursday is sending shockwaves through Houston’s Jewish community.
Authorities said a suspect armed with a rifle rammed into the building. No one was hurt, but the FBI is calling the incident a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”
At Harova Market, a kosher grocery store in Houston’s Meyerland area, the attack was top of mind for manager Ofir Azran. Azran said violence targeting Jewish people is something he has unfortunately grown accustomed to seeing.
“It’s not easy. It’s not easy to show who you are and wear your religious garments and be outside and not be afraid,” Azran said.
Azran said keeping his employees and customers safe in the current climate is already a top priority for him.
“We’re working with a full security company. We have a tremendous amount of cameras. We have a security guard on site,” Azran said.
In the wake of the attack in Michigan, Houston-area law enforcement agencies are also taking extra steps to ensure the Houston community stays safe.
“We don’t want something like this to happen in our community,” Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said.
Constable Rosen announced late Thursday afternoon that his office and other local law enforcement agencies are stepping up security measures around synagogues and other houses of worship.
“We’re going to be out doing our job of providing additional resources in and around faith-based organizations,” Constable Rosen said.
KHOU 11 asked Constable Rosen what those additional resources would look like.
“It’ll be things that you see, that are outward, like a marked patrol car. And there’ll be things that you don’t see, that are being done kind of behind the scenes, and we don’t talk about it,” Constable Rosen said.
While Constable Rosen would not say if he was aware of any specific threats against Houston houses of worship, he said the increased presence is meant to be proactive. He added that community members should also keep their eyes peeled.
“We need everybody to be on watch. We need everybody to be vigilant. We need everyone to look after your neighbor, look after your friends, look after your family,” Constable Rosen said. “This is a very, very tough time in the world, and this is a time when we should have our guard up.”
Constable Rosen also encouraged faith-based organizations to hold active shooter training sessions, adding that law enforcement agencies can help coordinate those efforts.