The Los Angeles Police Department will bolster patrols for the beginning of the Jewish holidays.
“The Los Angeles Police Department stands with our Jewish community as we enter the High Holy Days,” the agency said in a statement Wednesday. “We will have extra patrols and increased visibility at houses of worship, schools and cultural centers to ensure everyone can gather and worship safely.
“We remain in close contact with community leaders and security partners, and we ask the public to stay alert. If you see suspicious activity or have information about potential threats, please report it immediately.
“The LAPD is committed to protecting every Angeleno and ensuring a safe and meaningful High Holy Days.”
Rosh Hashana begins Friday at sundown, commencing 10 days of reflection that lead up to Yom Kippur, which begins the evening of Sept. 20.
Rosh Hashana is a time when Jews gather with family members and their communities to reflect on the past year and the one beginning. Celebrants also eat festive meals featuring apples dipped in honey, symbolic of the wishes for a sweet year.
Rosh Hashana ushers in the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of repentance and contemplation culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Judaism’s most solemn and somber day.
During the High Holy Days, Jewish tradition holds that God records the fate of each person for the coming year in the Book of Life, which is sealed at the end of Yom Kippur.