Jewish Groups Call Shooting An Attack On All Of Us, NYPD Tightens Security At Jewish Sites

New York City police tightened security at more than 40 Jewish sites around the city Monday after the deadly attack on a school in Toulouse, France.

Although there is no known specific threat against New York City, the NYPD has taken the precaution of stepping up coverage of Jewish neighborhoods and institutions in the city, said spokesman Paul Browne. The tightened security comes as major Jewish organizations around the world call for greater protection of Jews everywhere.

The Jewish Federations of North America released a statement in response to the murders of three schoolchildren and one adult in Toulouse, calling it an assault on all Jews. The group's president, Jerry Silverman, said, Words cannot describe the shock and outrage - and deep mourning - that result from a terror attack that is specifically directed at children. We have long known that Jews can be targets of vicious attacks wherever they are in the world. And it is clear, that even today, in 2012, that statement remains true.

The President of the World Jewish Congress harbored similar sentiments, terming the shooting an attack on all of us, while calling for Jews all over the world to unite to hunt down the perpetrator of this horrible crime and bring him to justice.

Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, released a statement emphasizing the urgent need to ensure that appropriate security measures are put in place at all Jewish institutions in Europe to ensure that the safety of Jews on this continent is not placed in jeopardy.

French Jewish institutions, including schools and synagogues, have been given extra security protection by the authorities.

French police are searching for the perpetrators and have cited a possible link to the killing of three North African soldiers in a series of incidents last week that may have involved the same gun and stolen scooter, according to the BBC. Although it is unclear to what extent the attack was motivated by anti-Semitism, President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered guards posted outside all religious schools.