UJA-Federation to Fund Shul Security Upgrades
As Jews increasingly fear simply attending synagogues amid escalating antisemitic incidents (Cover Story, Feb 4), UJA-Federation of New York has announced the creation of an initial $250,000 fund at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) to implement a program for providing security enhancement packages to at least 50 small synagogues – also known as shtiebels – in Brooklyn. The synagogues, in Midwood, Kensington, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Borough Park and Flatbush, have a capacity of fewer than 200 people and little or no staff.
The program, to be run by the Community Security Initiative (CSI) – a joint initiative of UJA-Federation and JCRC-NY – closes a crucial gap in funding that often leaves out smaller synagogues from accessing funding from the government or other sources for physical security enhancements. The new security enhancement packages can include the installation of new doors, locks and video cameras, and will be followed by active shooter and access control training for staff or key congregants.
As UJA Federation of NY CEO Eric S. Goldstein put it, “No synagogue should be left without proper security measures just because they lack access to necessary funding … every Jew deserves the right to worship in peace and security.”
There are approximately 250 small synagogues in Brooklyn, and most do not have basic security measures in place to protect against increased threats that Jewish institutions are confronting. The NYPD hate crimes unit reported 22 hate crimes against Jewish people so far this year, compared to eight in the same time period last year.
The new funding is intended to bridge the gap for smaller synagogues and offer significant improvements to basic security infrastructure and overall safety. The physical upgrades and trainings will be coordinated in partnership with community groups, including Agudath Israel of America, Boro Park Jewish Community Council, Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, and Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush, as well as neighborhood civilian patrols.
Synagogues seeking funding and training can apply online at jcrcny.org/smallshuls. The CSI will review and process applications and begin to schedule visits by a security consultant. Once the enhancements are complete, CSI will provide training regarding access control and active threat.
Over the last year alone, CSI conducted 135 physical security assessments at local Jewish institutions and helped guide 177 organizations to secure $27 million in federal nonprofit security grants, almost 30 percent of the Department of Homeland Security’s national funds for urban areas. And CSI has provided support to nearly 1,000 local institutions, from incidence response to security training.
Graham Cannon
Spokesperson, UJA-Federation of New York
Enjoying Lashon HaKodesh Column
To Rabbi Klein: I enjoy reading your articles on Lashon HaKodesh every week in The Jewish Press. Recently you discussed the Hebrew words sam and shat as both meaning “to put” with “shat” having a negative connotation (Jan. 7).
Recently, as I was reading Tehillim, I found the following containing the root shat: Psalm 132:11: “Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne,” and in Psalm 141:3: “Set a guard, O L-rd, to my mouth.” Both refer to something positive.
By the way, referring to another column (Dec. 17, 2021) I always thought seedless grapes were genetically modified. I was delighted to see your comment by Rabbi Yitzchok ibn Ghiatt in your article on grapes. My grandmother’s maiden name was Benghiat, and the family always claimed to be his descendants.
E. Tebele
Brooklyn, NY
PS: Your articles help me pray with more kavanah.
Less Attention Leads to More Legitimacy
Regarding Ziona Greenwald’s op-ed, “Celebrity Claptrap – The Less Attention, The Better” (Feb. 11), the second sentence reads, “Putting aside that the platform for her remarks … ABC’s the View …” But, that CANNOT be put aside! It is the fact that Whoopi voiced such ignorant white-washing of the most severe antisemitism ever on a public forum is, in fact, the whole issue! She can say whatever she wants to her friends, but in a widely publicized arena as this, it cannot persist without a response. To do so condones antisemitism as a non-racist phenomenon, endowing it with legitimacy.
And this legitimacy is granted by the very same people that would decry racism as the most egregious of offenses. This hypocrisy and fallacy cannot stand uncontested in a public forum, lest tacit acceptance of antisemitism become the norm.
Dr. Caren Greenspan
Skokie, IL
Not a Race
Regarding your Perspective articles on Whoopi Goldberg’s comments (Feb. 11), the idea of Jews as a race has been discussed and disputed over and over.
The definition of race is so convoluted and debated that its meaning is lost. I do not think that the Jews are a race, but rather a people who are bound to one another by the idea of G-d, Torah, and its moral precepts. The Ten Commandments are more correctly named the Ten Precepts. It is these precepts that bind the Jewish people, once named Israelites, and before that, Hebrews, now Jews – the name culled from Yehuda, the son of Yaakov. As G-d promised, we were scattered, and so there are Jews who are dark complexioned with dark hair and dark eyes as my mother was, and Jews who are blond, blue-eyed and fair, revealing to me that the ancient Norse who crossed Europe left behind their genes.
The idea of race is that people are related by complexion, hair features and the like, but if the Jewish people are so divergent, how can we be a race based on these factors? We are, as I said, a people, by the order of the laws of Moshe’s Torah.
Bert Zackim
New York, NY
Arm Thyself
In light of the rapidly increasing incidents of physical antisemitic attacks, the latest being last Fright Night in Flatbush, we need to rethink our stand about Jews being armed. If you refuse to consider a firearm, at least consider carrying mace or pepper spray. If you can’t get any pepper spray, you can fill a water gun with ammonia, which will work just as well. Let’s stop being such easy targets. And with today’s culture, don’t expect the authorities to provide much protection. We need to look to ourselves as well as to the police.
Dr. Robert Solomon
Boynton Beach, FL
