Shomrim New York provides free emergency phones to synagogues
The phone would allow people to directly contact emergency services in case of antisemitic incidents.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
In the wake of the stabbing attack in Monsey, New York, and a wave of antisemitic incidents across America, Shomrim Borough Park has handed out free emergency telephones to synagogues to better protect them from possible attacks.The phone would allow people to directly contact emergency services, including 911, the local Shomrim, or the Hatzalah ambulance service without even dialing, Boropark24 has reported.The hotline will even be available on Shabbat, when most observant Jews do not turn on their phones and synagogue lines are inaccessible, according to JNS.The phones have been offered by Shomrim at a cost of under $200 since early January. As many as 200 synagogues had expressed interest in the devices, Motty Browner, a supervisor with Borough Park Shomrim, told the New York Post.Shomrim said the gesture was a measure of their gratitude, after they hit a $180,000 fundraising target in just one day. There is now a bonus round target of $300,000.