Report 30 Percent Drop in Anti-semitic Incidents Against Philly Area Synagogues Between 1980-1981

In sharp contrast to Jewish communities generally throughout the United States and Canada, which have reported a growing number of anti-Semitic acts against synagogues and other Jewish institutions, synagogues in the Greater Philadelphia area have reported a 30 percent decrease in the number of such incidents between 1980 and 1981.

The results emerged from a comparison of surveys taken by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia for those years, according to Joseph Smukler, JCRC president. The survey for 1980 was based on 61 synagogues reporting. The survey for 1981 was based on 57 synagogues reporting, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was told.

Smukler said the JCRC surveys revealed some increase in vandalism of synagogues reporting from the Philadelphia Northeast area, but that area followed the trend in the rest of the a drop in thefts between 1980 and 1981.

SECURITY MEASURES WERE TAKEN

Smukler said the overall decrease in theft and vandalism could be attributed “to a great extent” to security measures taken by many local synagogues which had been proposed last March at a special program on synagogue and institutional security sponsored by the JCRC and the Philadelphia Board of Rabbis. He said improvements in outdoor lighting systems, in particular, “have proven to be an effective deterrent against institutional vandalism.” Other major steps taken included the installation of additional locks, alarm systems and safes.

Smukler expressed concern that a lower percentage of synagogues in the Northeast area had taken security measures than did other local synagogues, noting that Northeast synagogues constituted a quarter of those reporting in each survey.

Rabbi Gerald Wolpe of Har Zion Temple, Board of Rabbis president, said the “dramatic decrease” in vandalism of synagogues, “shows how successful a program can be when the community comes together to solve a problem.”

DECLINES BETWEEN 1980 AND 1981

Smukler said that, on the average, two-thirds of all synagogues in the area responded to the JCRC surveys. The percentage of synagogues reporting acts of vandalism and theft showed the following declines between 1980 and 1981.

Thefts of ritual silver; 25 percent in 1980 and nine percent in 1981; other thefts: 13 percent in 1980 and nine percent in 1981; acts of vandalism, including anti-Semitic graffiti: 26 percent in 1980 and 14 percent in 1981.

Smukler said no incidents were reported by 46 percent of the synagogues in 1980 and by 67 percent during 1981.

The program on security was arranged as a reaction to increases in thefts and vandalism at local houses of worship in 1980. The program included a seminar featuring representatives from the city government, the insurance and security industries, the Philadelphia police department, and distribution of a JCRC background report recommending security measures.

Burt Siegel, JCRC associate executive director and director of social action and urban affairs, roted that such problems were not unique to the Jewish community. He said Catholic and Protestant churches throughout the country “have also been targets, with part of the cause unquestionably the increase in the value of precious metals.”

He said the Torah thefts “are part of a wave of such acts which have been taking place in areas with large Jewish populations. The Philadelphia area has been relatively fortunate compared to New York where thefts of Torah scrolls had reached epidemic proportions.”

The JCRC noted that in 1981, the Upper Darby police department had broken up a ring operating out of that community which was responsible for a number of robberies of houses of worship in the Philadelphia area. He said that, during the past few months, all members of the ring had been convicted of those crimes.