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After Texas synagogue hostage situation, a Burlington rabbi reflects on continued need for safety training

Rabbi Amy Small, the senior rabbi at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington, stands in front of a brick wall.
Henry Epp
/
VPR
Rabbi Amy Joy Small of Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington joins Vermont Edition this hour to discuss the kind of security training she and her congregation have practiced in recent years.

Live call-in discussion: A hostage situation at a Texas synagogue left the attacker dead, but all three hostages were able to escape. The synagogue's rabbi says security training helped them survive. This hour, a Burlington rabbi who's done similar training with her community discusses the need for that kind of preparation today.

Events like this, and the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, have left many religious leaders wondering if they are as prepared as they should be.

Our guest is:

Listen to the full interview with Rabbi Small to hear how her community has implemented these kinds of trainings and the threats her synagogue has faced in the past.

Broadcast live on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vermontedition.

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Tedra joined Vermont Public as a producer for Vermont Edition in January 2022 and now serves as the Managing Editor and Senior Producer. Before moving to Vermont, she was a journalist in New York City for 20 years. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.
Matt Smith worked for Vermont Public from 2017 to 2023 as managing editor and senior producer of Vermont Edition.