Chicago synagogues calm but alert after reports of suspicious packages from Yemen
| Chicago
Chicago鈥檚 Jewish leaders remained calm despite news Friday afternoon that explosives found in two suspicious packages bound for Chicago were intended for arrival at two unnamed synagogues in the city.
The packages from Yemen were discovered in Dubai and near London on two US-bound planes. According to CNN, law enforcement officials acted on a tip that indicated the packages were meant for the Chicago synagogues.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago notified local synagogues of the situation and told them to be on alert. There have been no reports that any Friday or Saturday Sabbath services have been canceled.
Chicago Alderman Bernard Stone, whose district includes West Rogers Park, a Jewish neighborhood on the far North Side, says he was notified Friday of the situation by representatives of the US Department of Homeland Security. The community is calm, he says, despite the fact that an Al Qaeda group in Yemen has been named as a top suspect.
鈥淲e鈥檙e putting our trust in the law enforcement, and nobody鈥檚 getting excited. We鈥檙e just going about our business, and we鈥檙e not going to let the terrorists dictate to us,鈥� Alderman Stone says.
In a statement Friday, President Obama said he directed law-enforcement officials to 鈥渟pare no effort in investigating the origins of these suspicious packages and their connection to any additional terrorist plotting.鈥�
Mr. Obama is scheduled to make campaign appearances this weekend for Democratic candidates, and he鈥檚 scheduled to speak Saturday evening at a rally in Chicago鈥檚 Hyde Park neighborhood.
It is not yet known which two synagogues were targeted. Ted Goldsmith, vice president of Temple Menorah in West Rogers Park, says his congregation posted a notice to its members at the synagogue and on its website. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be careful about opening packages, especially if it looks suspicious,鈥� he says.
To Stone, Friday鈥檚 threat is not new and the people in his ward are used to participating in their religious services while remaining vigilant.
鈥淭he Jewish community here has been threatened before. We鈥檝e been subject to these kinds of threats before, and we鈥檝e survived them and we鈥檒l continue to survive them,鈥� he says.
