LV rabbi: Need for vigilance, education ongoing

Las Vegas Rabbi Sanford Akselrad was attending a class on explaining grief to children at a national Jewish leaders conference in Ohio at about the time Buford O. Furrow Jr. walked into the Las Vegas FBI headquarters and surrendered Wednesday.

During the class at the annual Coalition for Alternatives in Jewish Education meeting in Columbus, Akselrad listened to an Atlanta woman tell how she dealt with telling her children about the violent death of the president of her temple. The president was among those killed in a recent high-profile multiple murder at two Georgia brokerage firms.

Furrow is accused of shooting children, one as young as 5, and adults at a Los Angeles area Jewish community center and killing a postal employee during a Tuesday shooting spree.

"When I came out of the class and saw on TV that he (Furrow) had surrendered in Las Vegas, I thought 'how am I going to explain when our children ask about what he is accused of doing?' " Akselrad, Clark County Rabbis Association president, said Wednesday during a break in the weeklong convention that ends today.

"It is more than just a random act of violence when a person targets an ethnic minority or a religious group he does not like."

According to a 1996 survey, there are about 60,000 Jews living in Southern Nevada, which officials say has probably increased to 70,000. Both of those numbers represent about 5 percent of the local population.

Akselrad, Congregation Ner Tamid's rabbi, said it is part of "the Jewish psyche" to be vigilant and protective because Jews have long dealt with those who simply do not like them because of their faith.

"This incident demonstrates the continued need for vigilance and education regarding tolerance. When you start degrading any human beings it degrades not only those people but also destroys our society."

Both Akselrad and Las Vegas Jewish Federation Executive Director Ronni Epstein said local Jewish organizations have for years held events -- especially holiday gatherings -- with great concerns for security.

"We are not going to live in an armed camp, but we do what we can to prevent tragedies," Epstein said. "We all deal with security in different ways."

With that in mind, Epstein's organization has set a date for Metro Police and the FBI to brief Southern Nevada's Jewish organizations about security. Epstein requested that the time, date and location of that gathering not be printed for security reasons.

"We simply want to make things safer for our clients," she said. "We want to learn what we can do better than we are currently doing."

Epstein noted that with Jewish community centers being built in Green Valley and Summerlin, there is an increased need for strengthening security in the Las Vegas Valley.

Akselrad agreed with Epstein, noting: "Will we be building fortresses or be weary of all strangers? That's not going to happen. But, naturally, incidents like what happened in California heightens awareness."

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