Jewish institutions reassessing security

Local agencies being kept in the loop

UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey is circulating security information to local agencies and synagogues, according to David Moss, the federation’s assistant executive vice president for endowment.

“When we learned [about the mail bombs last] Friday, we immediately briefed our mailroom staff and the reception desk so that they were aware of what was going on,” he told The Jewish Standard on Tuesday. “We shared some protocols that had been shared with us by the Office of Homeland Security on how to respond and handle specific packages.”

Among the signs that a package might be suspicious, Moss said, is “excessive tape or string, oily stains, or discoloration.”

Moss, who took part in Tuesday’s Anti-Defamation League conference call, referred the Standard to an FBI advisory on the ADL website: www.adl.org/security/fbi.pdf.

If a package or letter is suspicious, the advisory states, “Don’t shake or bump (it)…. Don’t open, smell, or taste. Treat it as a suspect! Call 911.”

“We’re disseminating information as we receive it,” Moss said, “but no meetings have been called at this point.”