An investigation is underway this week after Zoombombers disrupted a virtual shiva hosted by a West Hartford synagogue, displaying pornographic and anti-Semitic images that disrupted the somber mourning service.
Although brief, the cyberattack left some members of The Emanuel Synagogue congregation extremely upset and leaders are now considering additional technical security for its daily services, synagogue President Mel Simon said Wednesday.
West Hartford police and Zoom staff are investigating the incident and the Anti-Defamation League reported this is the third time a Jewish community in Connecticut has been targeted this way.
“It’s upsetting, but this is not new to the Jewish people and we’re not shutting our doors and we’re not stopping our prayer services,” Simon said. “We will continue as we have for thousands of years.”
The Emanuel Synagogue has been hosting its twice daily services online since the COVID-19 pandemic began and on Monday night, it hosted a shiva service on Zoom for a member who recently died that included regular attendees in West Hartford and family and friends of the member who now live in Minnesota, Simon said.
The technically savvy congregation utilizes Zoom’s “waiting room” feature as a security measure to screen out any unwanted guests, but it may be two or more menacing users were able to get themselves approved inadvertently due to the larger-than-normal service Monday night, Simon said.
“We don’t allow screen share, but they were able to present a video in their particular window,” Simon said. “One was pornographic, another was Holocaust imagery. One or both of the interlopers began to shout anti-Semitic epithets.”The co-hosts were able to quickly shut down the Zoom meeting to remove the unwanted visitors and screened them out when they resumed the service, Simon said. At about 7 p.m. Monday, they reported it to West Hartford police.
Investigators arrived at Simon’s house within minutes to take statements from him and call his brother, who was one of the co-hosts, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford was contacted shortly thereafter by Police Chief Vernon Riddick. Further information about the police investigation was not immediately available Wednesday night.
Synagogue leaders have resisted implementing registrations or passwords for members to enter services, which would undermine the open community they have fostered, but those steps may be necessary at some point. The Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford’s technical also spent more than 90 minutes working with synagogue leaders to revamp and improve their Zoom security settings.
“It’s the price we’re going to have to pay to keep our space safe and sacred,” Simon said. “We will continue our services one way or another, they’re an essential part of our tradition and faith.”