CMPD: Extra patrols for Charlotte’s synagogues and mosques after Pittsburgh shooting

After 11 people were killed at a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police will make extra safety checks at Charlotte’s synagogues and mosques, CMPD spokesman Keith Trietley said Sunday.

The checks are proactive, Trietley said.

Charlotte’s Jewish leaders responded quickly to the mass shooting. In a joint message to their congregations, the senior rabbis of Temple Israel and Temple Beth El said they were mourning and praying for peace Saturday afternoon.

The two congregations held a joint Saturday night service to end the Sabbath and pray for “comfort and solidarity,” according to the rabbis.

The rabbis wrote that Shalom Park, the Jewish campus on Providence Road, will work with local and federal law enforcement to increase its security. They also declared solidarity with houses of worship for all religions.

“As our nation struggles to explain yet another mass shooting, we should all keep this thought at the forefront: an attack on ANY house of worship is an attack on ALL houses of worship.,” the rabbis wrote.

Rabbi Yossi Groner of Congregation Ohr HaTorah, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue on Sardis Road, wrote in a statement that his congregation was “heartbroken and pained” by the Pittsburgh shooting.

The congregation held a groundbreaking ceremony Sunday for the Chabad Center, and the ceremony was dedicated to the Pittsburgh victims, Groner wrote.

Other faith leaders around Charlotte also announced they were praying for the Jewish community. In a Facebook post, the interfaith group Mecklenburg Ministries condemned “all religious and ethnic bigotry” and prayed for peace and healing.