This past Thursday was Yom Kippur — the holiest day in Judaism.
But in Manchester, United Kingdom, the day turned tragic when a deadly attack outside a synagogue shocked the community. In the United States, churches in Minnesota and Michigan became targets for violent acts in the past few months.
The back-to-back tragedies raised questions about steps churches can take to ensure their safety.
Tampa Bay local faith leaders have gathered to discuss safety measures within their community.
On "Florida Matters Live & Local," Rev. Kenny Irby, the city of St. Petersburg's faith and community justice liaison, said faith leaders across the community shared the same concern. He said that the presence of security teams and law enforcement had been a major step in improving safety.
"We've heard from rabbis, priests and imams, pastors alike," Irby said. "That it is a concern in their congregations and the development of security teams has been a big addition to the faith community administration."
Christopher Harris, Crossover Church's executive pastor, Christopher Harris, agreed.
He explained that having a visible presence of law enforcement and security helps churchgoers feel safer.
"Having the presence of law enforcement, having the presence of security, talking at strategic times about specific measures that we've put in place here and there without disclosing all the details helps our congregation, at least, to know that even though everything can't always be seen, there are measures in place to make sure that that we're prioritizing their safety," Harris said.
The violence has prompted countless debates over whether the attacks were driven by religious hostility or reflected a wider issue of public safety. Irby said social tension and gun laws contributed to this fear among communities.
"I think it's become endemic within our society, the polarization, the now open carry in the state of Florida, the awareness of firearms and hate has become a major issue," Irby said.
Following the idea of having law enforcement at religious facilities, Florida Sen. Don Gaetz sponsored a bill that would allow certain church volunteers to carry firearms without security licenses.
Harris expressed uncertainty about the proposal, saying multiple churches have already been doing what the bill proposed. Irby added that churches have been more flexible in their gun policy, as to where you can or cannot bring firearms.
Both faith leaders expressed the need to ensure security measures for the churchgoers. They also emphasize the importance of upholding the core values of hospitality and community within the houses of worship.
"We've had a couple of sessions in the city of St. Petersburg, where St. Pete PD has gone out in public forums, one hosted by the NAACP to have conversations about in general about the open carry guidelines," Irby said. "And in those conversations the faith community has come up, and so that kind of consciousness and awareness has been something we've been intentional about."
Added Harris: "I think that by large, houses of worships have been very high trust and low security kinds of places. And I think the day of that being a reality is past. And so churches have to be good stewards, have to be good managers, and have to recognize the reality of where we are. So we can have, I believe, high hospitality. And yet also have high security."
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Matthew Peddie for "Florida Matters Live & Local." You can listen to the full episode here.
