The Riverdale Temple is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located at 4545 Independence Avenue, in the Riverdale neighborhood of

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The congregation was founded in 1947. In 2009, the rabbi was Judith S. Lewis. In July 2015, Rabbi Lewis retired and was succeeded by Rabbi Thomas Gardner.

Terrorism plot

In 2009, a group of four American Muslims planned to blow up the temple. After a six-week trial, the four were convicted on conspiracy to use

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...

and conspiracy to acquire and use anti-aircraft missiles. In 2011, the men were sentenced in the District Court to 25 years in prison each. On appeal to the Federal Court, their sentences were upheld. In July 2023, a judge ordered

compassionate release Compassionate release is a process by which inmates in criminal justice systems may be eligible for immediate early release on grounds of "particularly extraordinary or compelling circumstances which could not reasonably have been foreseen by t ...

for three of the four men, with ''time served'', being eleven years. The judge declared their 25-year sentences ‘unduly harsh and unjust’. On May 30, 2009, New York Governor

David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer, who resigned, and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to ...

announced he would give the Riverdale Jewish Center and the Riverdale Temple $25,000 each to improve their security. The money came from the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

(DHS) and primarily involved the installation of alarms and surveillance equipment.

References

External links

* {{The Bronx 1947 establishments in New York City 20th-century synagogues in the United States 21st-century attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States Islamic terrorism in New York (state) Jewish organizations established in 1947 Reform synagogues in New York City Riverdale, Bronx Synagogues in the Bronx