Safeguarding Our Community
JCRC works with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to keep our community safe. Our staff is dedicated to investigating and counseling victims of anti-Semitism and to mediating disputes. We help train and plan for crises, provide security guidance, and serve as the official Jewish community liaison with law enforcement.
We are very proud that the FBI recognized our work fighting hate crimes by awarding us the 2002 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award.
Safeguarding our Jewish community institutions
American Jews will not soon forget the image of dozens of toddlers being led hand-in-hand by police officers from the North Valley Jewish Community Center in California after a horrific shooting rampage in that facility. That event, and the other anti-Semitic incidents that took place in summer 1999 in Sacramento and Chicago, will continue to motivate community leaders to reassess, and, where necessary, enhance security protocols.
It is important that Jewish institutions take all prudent measures to ensure the safety of their facilities for the staff, volunteers and public that uses them. However, at the same time, it is imperative that the Jewish community resists the understandable urge to transform its institutions into “fortresses,” thereby inhibiting their openness and accessibility to Jews and the broader population they serve.
JCRC serves as the community’s watchdog on issues of anti-Semitism. Our community security team works as a liason with local law enforcement and the FBI to keep our local Jewish institutions abreast of the latest security updates and information.
As the High Holy Days draw near it is important to be cognizant of security concerns. The JCRC community security team is available to review how to prepare your institution for holiday security in a manner that does not come at the expense of an open and welcoming environment. Security experts have met with us to discuss ways in which Jewish institutions can take preventative steps to ensure the safety and security of your visitors and facilities.
The recently released 9/11 Commission Report cited Jewish-American targets as having been considered for attack by Al Qaeda. Locally, the Jewish community has seen a 27 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidences since 2002.
The JCRC staff is available to plan and implement training meetings, overseen by law enforcement representatives, for your institution’s staff and administrators. Trainings focus on threats to specific faith and ethnic communities – including the Jewish community, and how they are monitored, investigated, and prosecuted on the state and federal level.
It is imperative that Jewish institutions have in place Emergency Preparedness Manuals in case crisis strikes our Jewish community or specific Jewish institutions. The JCRC community security team is available to consult with your institution’s administrators and staff on how to best implement an Emergency Preparedness Manual for your facility that is in step with recommendations from local law enforcement and the FBI.