Concord Police Step Up Safety Enforcement At Temple Beth Jacob

CONCORD, NH — Concord police have stepped up patrols and safety enforcement at one of the state’s oldest Jewish temples after increased incidents in New Hampshire and around the nation.

Deputy John Thomas of the Concord Police Department confirmed scanner chatter mentioning an increased presence at Temple Beth Jacob on Broadway recently in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the terrorist group known as Hamas that controls much of the Gaza strip, a small section of southwestern Israel that borders Egypt. The attack on civilians led to more than 1,200 deaths, more than 5,000 injuries, and hundreds of hostages. It is estimated more than 30 Americans died during the attacks. Israel countered the attacks with military action in Gaza, which has led to thousands of people dying, including terrorists and Palestinian civilians. This has led to an increase in hate speech against Jewish Americans, marches, and violence.

Thomas said there were no known threats against Jews in Concord or Temple Beth Jacob. Since the beginning of the year, police know of only three Swastikas spray paint incidents and those were all before the Hamas attacks — at Memorial Field dugouts on Jan. 2, on Second Street in Penacook on March 30, and on a parked vehicle at Market Basket on Merchants Way on Aug. 7. On Oct. 30, graffiti promoting NSC-131, a neo-Nazi group in New England, was found on South State Street, at the Flatley Company’s new apartment building construction site. Thomas said earlier this week, there was a report about a Swastika at a home on Pembroke Road. But it turned out to be a Buddhist religious peace sign, a left-facing “sauwastika,” not a Swastika.

Thomas said police were stepping up patrols as a way of being proactive due to the uptick of incidents against Jews.

“The officers have been asked to do directed patrols,” he said, “due to some of the violence that has been happening to Jewish temples and Jewish people across the country.”

Earlier this week, the Belknap County Democratic Party Office was hit with graffiti, including Swastikas, posters claiming Jews caused the Sept. 11 attacks, and promotions of white supremacist rhetoric and statements.

Rabbi Robin Nafshi confirmed police were “here often” and added there were “no known threats against us or Jews of Concord.” At the same time, she said, “The CPD wants to keep us safe and help us feel safe. We are most grateful.”

Nafshi recently participated in a seminar with the NH AG’s Office, which has reported increased hate crime reports since the department’s Civil Rights Unit was created.

Temple Beth Jacob, the city’s only synagogue, is one of the oldest in New Hampshire, founded in 1907.

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