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Associated Press
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
COMMUNITY SECURITY SERVICE BOLSTERS DEFENSES IN RESPONSE TO ELEVATED THREAT WARNING FROM DHS/FBI
NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 7, 2025 / / -- Jewish Security Organization Calls for Community Training Amid Federal Alert on Elevated Threats to Israeli and Jewish Communities In response to the recent Public Service Announcement issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) highlighting an elevated threat to Israeli and Jewish communities, the Community Security Service (CSS) is intensifying its efforts to train and empower Jewish communities across the United States. CSS, the nation's leading Jewish community-based security organization, is accelerating outreach to communities nationwide, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced vigilance and preparedness. This week's FBI and DHS joint warning made it official: the threats we've seen in Boulder and D.C. are not isolated, they're part of a broader, growing danger facing Jewish communities nationwide. 'We're not waiting for another wake-up call,' said Richard Priem, CEO of CSS. 'This is the moment to prepare. If you've ever thought about stepping up, now is the time. Every synagogue, school, and gathering place deserves trained eyes and boots on the ground. That's what we do.' Priem added, 'The time is now for every Jewish community to take ownership of its security.' Chuck Berkowitz, CSS's Vice President of Security and a former army ranger and senior detective with NYPD, emphasized the importance of layered security: 'Recognizing and reporting suspicious behavior is critical. Pre-attack indicators such as individuals loitering near events without a clear purpose, or unusual interest in facility operations must be taken seriously and reported immediately. When community members are trained to identify and act on these early warning signs, we can intervene before threats escalate into tragedies.' In recent years, CSS has trained tens of thousands of Jewish community members and maintains a network of more than 5,000 active volunteers who help protect hundreds of synagogues and events every week. These volunteer teams receive professional-grade training and bring a key advantage: an intimate understanding of their own communities. In light of the DHS/FBI alert, CSS is redoubling its efforts to reach synagogues and Jewish organizations that have not yet activated this model. CSS is committed to ensuring these communities can empower their members with the training, tools, and support necessary to detect and deter threats before they materialize, providing a proactive and community-centric response to the elevated threat environment. About CSS: The Community Security Service (CSS) is a 501(c)3 and the leading organization training Jewish security and safety volunteers in the United States. Established in 2007, CSS trains community members to play a proactive role in protecting their own Jewish institutions and events. Its programs, developed by leading security professionals and tailored to a range of experience levels, equip volunteers to identify suspicious activity, deter threats, and respond effectively in coordination with law enforcement and communal partners. To date, CSS has trained over 20,000 volunteers, students, and community members, supporting the protection of more than 500 Jewish institutions, campus organizations and events each month. Warren Cohn RocketShipPR +1 917-796-7463 email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
The Independent
04-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
2 more attacks on Jews heighten concerns about security in and around US synagogues
For the leaders of U.S. Jewish institutions, the recent attacks in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., are stark reminders of their responsibility to remain vigilant despite years of hardening their security measures and trying to keep their people safe. Now, they're sounding the alarm for more help after a dozen people were injured in Boulder while demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza on Sunday. And just over a week earlier, two Israeli Embassy staffers were fatally shot outside a Jewish museum in Washington. After that shooting, 43 Jewish organizations issued a joint statement requesting more support from the U.S. government for enhanced security measures. Specifically, they asked Congress to increase funding to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $1 billion. 'Every Jewish organization has been serious about security for years. We have to be,' said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. 'The grants are to harden the buildings, for things like cameras and glass, and some kind of blockage so they can't drive a truck into the building." 'These are the everyday realities of Jewish life in the 21st century in America. It's a sad reality, but it is an essential responsibility of leadership to make sure that people are first and foremost safe.' Shira Hutt, executive vice president at The Jewish Federations of North America, said existing federal funds were inadequate, with only 43% of last year's applicants to the grant program receiving funding. Citing the attack in Boulder, she said increased funding for local law enforcement is also crucial. 'Thankfully, the attack was stopped before even further damage could have been done,' she said. 'This is really now a full-blown crisis, and we need to make sure that we have all the support necessary." One of the Jewish Federation's state-based affiliates, JEWISHcolorado, on Tuesday launched an emergency fund to raise $160,000 in support of the Boulder community. Its goals include enhancing safety and security measures for Jewish institutions and events. Strengthening alliances and pushing for results Leaders of Jewish Federation Los Angeles urged government, business and philanthropic groups to 'supercharge an alliance so we can build mutual understanding, dispel conspiracy theories, and provide rapid response when any group is under threat.' ' Jews here in Los Angeles are terrified but determined,' said the federation's president, Rabbi Noah Farkas. 'We do not need more community meetings, we need results and we are counting on our local government and our law enforcement partners to do more.' The security costs at 63 Jewish day schools have risen on average 84% since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct, 7, 2023, according to the Teach Coalition, the education advocacy arm of the Orthodox Union, an umbrella group for Orthodox Judaism. The coalition is advocating for more state and federal security funding for Jewish schools and camps, as well as synagogues. The attacks in Washington and Boulder only heighten the urgency, said its national director Sydney Altfield. 'Some people see this as an isolated instance, whether it is in Colorado, whether it's in D.C.,' she said. 'But we have to step up and realize that it could happen anywhere. … It is so important that our most vulnerable, our children, are secure to the highest extent.' In Florida, Rabbi Jason Rosenberg of Congregation Beth Am said members of the Reform synagogue in the Tampa Bay area 'are feeling very nervous right now and having some additional security might make people a little bit more comfortable.' He said that 'there's a definite sense that these attacks are not isolated events, that these attacks are, in part, the result of a lot of the antisemitic rhetoric that we've been hearing in society for years now.' However, he said part of his message as a faith leader in such a climate has been to encourage resilience. 'We can't let this define us. … We can't stop doing what we do; we can't stop coming to synagogue; we can't stop having our activities,' he said. 'Our job is to add holiness to our lives and to the world, and we can't let this stop us from focusing on sacred work.' Security concerns inside and outside Jacobs, the Reform Judaism leader, said the latest attacks in Washington and Boulder signaled that new security strategies were needed. 'Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were murdered outside of the event at the D.C. Jewish Museum,' he said. 'And that presented a whole additional sort of challenges for law enforcement and for each of our institutions doing security, which is: you can't just worry about who comes in; you actually have to worry about who's lurking outside, and so, that is part now of our protocols." The attack in Boulder, he said, took place during a 'peaceful protest' where demonstrators were calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. 'We have to worry about what happens inside our institutions. … We also have to be thinking and working with law enforcement about what happens outside.' Jacobs recalled that when a Christian leader recently visited a Reform synagogue, he was 'stunned by the security protocols,' which included procedures that Jacobs likened to passengers passing through airport security. 'I said, 'Well, what do you do in your churches?' and he said, 'Well, we like to be welcoming.' And I said: 'We don't have that luxury. We want to make sure our people feel safe, otherwise people will stop coming.'" ___ ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
