LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Under the backdrop of a 140% rise in hate crimes across the country – exemplified by Saturday’s violent clash with pro-Palestinian protesters outside of a Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles – the Jewish community in Las Vegas is on high alert.
“It’s very scary,” Rabbi Mendy Harlig of the Chabad in Green Valley said. “It’s very saddening.”
Harlig, whose congregants call him Rabbi Mendy, said he and other Jewish leaders are monitoring their security plan, including the number of officers and other measures put in place to protect those who attend synagogue.
“I don’t think we’re in danger,” Mendy said. “But I definitely think that we need to do different things to constantly be up to date on security.”
Rabbi Mendy said he has noticed an uptick in threatening behavior. Police interrupted the Chabad’s Passover Seder in April because someone called in reports of a hostage situation and over the last several months – specifically, since pro-Palestinian forces attacked innocent Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023 – Rabbi Mendy has noticed more threatening emails. He told the 8 News Now Investigators that the number of Jewish inpatients asking for him to visit them during his frequent trips to the hospital has tripled since the beginning of that war.