Riverdale Temples Get $25,000 From Feds For Security

Though a plot to bomb two synagogues in the Riverdale section of the Bronx was foiled by federal and city authorities, concerns remained about the safety of the Jewish Center and Riverdale Temple. Yesterday, Governor Paterson and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the two institutions would receive $25,000 in federal money for security. Paterson said, "We will make sure that these two institutions as well as all others in the state of New York are protected," while Gillibrand "noted that the Urban Areas Security Initiative, a homeland security grant program, provided money to organizations at a high risk of a terrorist attack, but that fewer than half of eligible applicants received financing this year." Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt of the Riverdale Jewish Center told the Daily News, "The children of [the suspected terror plotters] will also be welcome in this house of God. I want them to know that we will fight for them and for their future, because in their future is the true ticket to our real safety."