It might be 2021, but Jews in America continue to face attacks.
In my hometown of Skokie, Illinois, a synagogue window was recently smashed, and a pro-Palestinian sign was at the scene. A former synagogue president told an ABC News affiliate that they have now hired security to protect the building. Thankfully, no one was injured this time around.
Such attacks are occurring nationwide.
In Los Angeles, a vandal last week attempted to smash the windows of a synagogue by hurling a concrete slab. Fortunately, the windows are shatterproof. A few weeks ago in Salt Lake City, a swastika was found carved into the front window of another Jewish center.
Since the 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, the deadliest attack in American Jewish history, Jewish nonprofit groups, especially synagogues, have utilized the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
Since 2002, the NSGP has provided funding to improve nonprofit facility security. This includes actions such as hardening access points. Recipients can allocate up to 50% of NSGP funds toward armed security. If they want to spend more than that amount, they need a waiver from FEMA. Along with increasing funding for the NSGP, Congress should allow recipients to allocate 100% of their funds toward armed security. Nonprofit organizations know their security needs better than FEMA bureaucrats.
While security requirements vary depending on the institution, armed security is often highly valuable. Although surveillance cameras and physical security measures are useful, they cannot replace a trained security officer who is armed and ready.
Speaking out against antisemitism, while crucial, is also insufficient in combating it. Physical defense is as important in deterring and defeating violent fanatics. It’s time for Congress to act. If Jewish institutions believe it serves their interests to do so, they should be allowed to spend 100% of their NSGP grants on armed security.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
