Responding to Antisemitism by Investing in Security

The recent mass shooting at a Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia is a painful reminder of the threats Jewish communities continue to face around the world.

In light of this incident, and the fact that Jewish communities continue to face the highest number of incidents of religiously motivated hate crimes, The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore remains dedicated to protecting the Baltimore community.

Over the years, we have built strong relationships with our local, state and federal law enforcement officials, including the FBI and Homeland Security, to coordinate and analyze threats and identify them before they occur. We partner with JShield at the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington for a regional approach on security.

As part of our national effort, we also work with JFNA (Jewish Federations of North America), CSI (Community Security Initiative) out of New York, SCN (Secure Community Network) and (CSS) Community Security Service, who share intelligence and proactively monitor for threats.

The Associated and Baltimore Jewish Council’s Directory of Security David Folderauer talks about our work:

Our work includes:

Securing over $13 million in security funding across our Jewish institutions, schools and community centers.
Providing community-wide training programs and webinars to include active shooter scenarios and situational awareness.
Conducting comprehensive security audits for synagogues, day schools and other Maryland Jewish institutions.
Reviewing emergency plans and assisting with security grant applications for Jewish organizations.
Investing in state-of-the-art security systems and advanced technologies for our buildings (which include The Associated headquarters at 5700 Park Heights Avenue, both JCCs, Jewish Museum of Maryland and Pearlstone).

If you or someone you know has experienced an incident of antisemitism, report it here.