Jewish school, synagogues in NZ closed over Hamas statement

Juliet Moses, spokesperson for the Jewish Council of NZ. Photo / File

By RNZ

All synagogues and the one Jewish school have been closed over security concerns, the Jewish Council says.

The only Jewish primary school in the country and all synagogues are closed due to fears of anti-Israel protests.

Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses said it was not aware of any specific threats.

She said the decision was made in consultation with the police and the community.

“There are no specific threats that I am aware of in New Zealand.

Family members mourn during the funeral of Israeli soldier Shilo Rauchberger at the Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel. Photo / AP

“It was a community decision, but it’s based on the fact that the former leader of Hamas put out a statement declaring today 13 October, the ‘day of jihad’ or ‘day of rage’ around the world. So based on that and our concerns and I guess a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach. the decision was made.

“The only other time that that has happened was directly after the [Christchurch] mosque attacks.”

Earlier this week RNZ reported that police were patrolling mosques and synagogues as they monitored the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Police said they had not asked the Jewish community to close centres or cancel events. They have however been in talks with community leaders.