Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles Saturday in its first direct attack on Israel, prompting sirens to go off and raising concerns — not only in Israel but also in San Diego.
“The mood of the community is that they are concerned and this is a heightened state of tension for them with conflict against Israel,” Bill Ganley, the community security director for the Jewish Federation said. “I’m responsible for the safety, security, and resiliency of the Jewish people here in San Diego County."
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Ganley said before the attack they were already on a heightened state of alert, and now they are practicing more vigilant situational awareness.
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“There are no specific identified threats to San Diego's Jewish community at this point, even with all this, the conflict that’s happening in Israel right now,” Ganley said.
The executive director of the Council of American Relations did not want to speak on camera, but she told NBC 7 they have not received safety concerns from the community in light of the recent events.
Last week, the governor’s office announced the Cal Office of Emergency Services awarded $39 million in grants to help nonprofits and faith-based organizations bolster their security.
Ganley said several nonprofits and faith organizations in San Diego, including the Jewish Federation, were able to secure some of that funding.
“I don’t want to go into actual specifics as to what it will be spent towards out of just security of the facilities but think of things that will harden the facility from a terrorist attack from the outside, so making it more hard for a bad actor to gain access into the facilities,” Ganley said. “I just want people to know, especially the Jewish community, that we want, you know, the Secure Community Network and the Jewish Federation, want people to continue being comfortable being Jewish in San Diego.”
San Diego police said they are working closely with community liaisons to address any safety concerns that may arise.
The director of Islamic Center of San Diego said they don’t have a statement at this time, but they are taking the safety of their community and houses of worship seriously.
Meanwhile, Ganley said they are working to ensure everyone’s safety.
