Jewish temples increasing security in Colorado Springs due to rising tensions in Israel

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - The former leader of the terrorist group Hamas has called for a 'global day of jihad' — or day of rage, Friday, Oct. 13.

Now, some Jewish temples across the country and right here in southern Colorado are increasing security out of precaution.

"Some really got panicked," said Kobi Chumash, executive director of Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs.

Chumash said they're increasing the amount of guards at the temple during services.

The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) said they don't necessarily have any official additional patrols at temples on Friday.

However, they did let all of their officers know about the statement the former Hamas leader issued and as they have time on shift, they are checking in on those areas. CSPD claims they're monitoring the situation, but right now they don’t have any credible threats in the community.

On Friday, we saw two CSPD officers check in on Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs. Chumash said they checked on the temple a couple of times throughout the day.

"They are taking the right measures to make sure that the community feels comfortable and safe. And and I think that's the right thing to do," said Chumash.