A Chesterfield man with a history of violence and stalking is now facing new charges after reportedly contacting and attempting to access several Jewish institutions in St. Louis County.
Coordinated response highlights security coordination success
On April 23, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Dennis Klopfenstein, 50, with first-degree harassment. He is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. The St. Louis County Police Department’s Central County Precinct is leading the investigation.
According to a probable cause statement, Klopfenstein was previously convicted of killing his father in 1998 and later committed felony stalking while serving his sentence. He was released from prison in April 2024. Beginning in March 2025, he made visits and phone calls to multiple local Jewish sites, including Congregation Shaare Emeth, Temple Israel and Temple Emanuel.
He was served with No Trespass letters from the Jewish Federation of St. Louis and each of the affected institutions on March 11, yet continued to reach out—calling to ask for rabbis by name and even inquiring whether a staff member was alone in a building.
Local synagogues reinforce Jewish community safety plans
Community leaders say that despite the seriousness of the situation, the system worked as designed.
“At Temple Israel, the safety of our members and guests is our highest priority, particularly in light of all ongoing threats to the Jewish community,” said Martina Stern, the congregation’s executive director. “Over the past decade, we’ve implemented a comprehensive safety plan to ensure we are well-prepared for any potential situation.”
That plan includes Homeland Security grant funding, advanced training for staff and a network of communications with local authorities and the Jewish Federation’s security team. Rabbi Amy Feder, co-senior rabbi at Temple Israel, said those systems proved essential in real time.
“Thanks to the incredible officers at CCPD, as well as our staff, Rabbi Michael (Alper) and I feel incredibly cared for and protected,” she said. “We were given very clear guidance and updates so we could continue our lives and rabbinic roles as usual and without cause for concern.”
Other congregations echoed that sense of preparedness and appreciation for the Federation’s support.
“We thank Scott Biondo and the Creve Coeur Police Department for their continued vigilance in keeping our sacred Temple Emanuel community safe and continually updating us on security issues that arise in our entire community,” said Barbara D. Lewington, president of Temple Emanuel. “The safety protocols that we have in place at Temple Emanuel are updated frequently under the guidance of Scott Biondo and the Creve Coeur Police Department.”
Craig Neuman, executive director of Congregation Shaare Emeth, added, “We are grateful to Community Security Director Scott Biondo, Jewish Federation of St. Louis and law enforcement officials for their diligence in working to ensure our safety and security.” While noting a rise in antisemitic incidents since Oct. 7, 2023, Neuman said his congregation did not believe this particular incident was antisemitic in nature. “We are thankful for our attentive and well-trained staff and we are confident in our facility’s safety and security measures.”
Federation response rooted in intelligence sharing
Biondo, the Federation’s security director, said his office had been engaged with this case since early 2024.
“This was a situation that involved law enforcement at multiple levels,” he said. “When an individual’s presence and behaviors create anxiety and fear in the community, this is the consequence. This individual refused to cease actions that were making people fearful.”
He described the Federation’s approach as an “intelligence-led security program” focused on sharing real-time updates with a regional network of institutions and agencies.
“Once we have an incident, that information is shared with our network, so everyone is up to speed. That way, if someone shows up who we’ve flagged, everyone already knows,” he said. “And any response can be immediate.”
“It worked again,” he said.
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