Heightened security at Jewish institutions in the city is following the killing of two Israel Embassy staffers in Washington.

“We will persevere. We obviously need to be vigilant. We have security and we’re taking our security very seriously. We are taking different precautions that we haven’t been taking in the past,” Rabbi Chesky Wolff said.

What You Need To Know

  • Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were shot and killed while leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington Wednesday night

  • Federal authorities say the suspected gunman told police he "did it for Palestine”

  • This follows Israel's 11-week-long blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza

He and his congregation are comforted by the increased police presence outside the Chelsea Schul in Manhattan.

“Please God, that should continue, that both politicians and the police departments should understand the importance of the security of our synagogue and our children,” he said.

This comes after two aides at the Israeli Embassy in D.C., Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were shot and killed while leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington Wednesday night.

Federal authorities say the suspected gunman told police he “did it for Palestine.”

“Of course, you’re allowed to protest the Israeli government. I myself have a lot of complaints about how the Israeli government does things. However, the idea of clearly condoning and celebrating the barbaric terrorist organizations is absolutely un-American,” Rabbi Wolff said.

This follows Israel’s 11-week-long blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Food security experts warned nearly all 2.3 million residents are acutely malnourished and one-in-five Palestinians are on the brink of starvation.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected those findings.

Law enforcement officials have warned the continued assault on Gaza could lead to violence abroad, including in New York.

“One thing that we have done to really reassure New Yorkers is we have surged police resources around Jewish cultural centers, religious sites, Jewish schools. And we’ve surged the officers. We’ve done that to serve as a deterrent but also as a reassurance,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Rabbi Wolff is calling on his community to come together and find strength in the community.

“I encourage everyone to be proud, to be stronger, to be louder, because that is the only way that we will persevere and prevail. In the face of a bully, you don’t cower, you stand up to the bully,” he said.

The alleged gunman is facing multiple charges, including two counts of first degree murder and murder of foreign officials.