PINECREST, FLA. (WSVN) - Synagogues across South Florida have stepped up security in the wake of the mass shooting in Pittsburgh that left 11 people dead and at least six others injured.
The heightened security measures at the state’s religious institutions follow an order from Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued hours after the tragedy at Tree of Life Congregation, Saturday morning.
“Our hearts are broken,” said Rabbi Jeremy Barras from Temple Beth Am in Pinecrest.
7News cameras captured a police officer sitting outside the Pinecrest synagogue, Saturday night.
Barras said security is always a priority.
“It’s fair to say it’s heightened right now, but I would say that our security is always on high alert and always prepared for anything,” he said.
Meanwhile, worshippers at Temple Emanu-El on Miami Beach prayed for the victims of the mass shooting.
“It doesn’t matter wherever it happens, whether if it’s in China, whether it’s in South America, whether it’s here in the United States or in Israel,” said a worshipper. “We pain for it. We have a pain in our hearts.”
Some Emanu-El worshippers learned of the massacre as they arrived at the synagogue.
Barras said such acts of violence no longer shock him. Now, as communities around the world grapple with the magnitude of this tragedy, the rabbi offered the basic principle of his religion to help with healing.
“Try to understand what we teach in the Bible, that all human beings are created in the image of God,” he said. “That none is better than anyone else, and that America is best not when we divide ourselves but when we unite ourselves.”
Scott has ordered the Florida Highway Patrol to enhance patrols at places of worship in light of the shooting.
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