34 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023
J
N
S
oon after the Oct. 7
terror attack on Israel,
the Auburn Hills Police
Department reached out to the
Chabad Jewish Center of Troy
to offer assistance.
“They have been extremely
helpful in protecting our
center,” said Rabbi Menachem
Caytak, director of the center
at 3306 Auburn Road. “They
have been such a blessing for
our community!”
The Auburn Hills police are
planning a training program
to teach those affiliated with
the Chabad center what to do
if confronted with an active
shooter and how to handle
bleeding. They will also
recommend ways to make the
facility more secure and station
a patrol outside whenever there
is a program at the center.
Brian Miller, community
engagement officer for
the Auburn Hills Police
Department, happens to be the
only Jewish officer on the force.
One of his responsibilities
is partnering with schools,
religious institutions and
businesses in the city on their
emergency preparedness and
training needs.
Miller also helps businesses
and organizations identify
security concerns. He said
after the Oct. 7 attack, Kristen
Hollenbeck from
Jewish Community
Security Inc. asked
him to contact
Rabbi Caytak to
discuss the center’s
safety needs. “I have
been working with
Chabad since,” he
said.
Miller was trained
in the CRASE
platform (Civilian Response
to Active Shooter Events), part
of the Texas State University
Advanced Law Enforcement
Rapid Response Training.
“The CRASE training takes
about an hour and a half and
explores not just physically
what to do in an emergency
but also how most people
react under the stresses of the
emergency and how to defeat
certain biases,” he said.
“Stop the Bleed” teaches
emergency bleeding control
measures: pressure, packing
and tourniquet.
Miller, who lives
in Farmington Hills
and is a member
of Temple Shir
Shalom, monitors
information on
all the houses of
worship in Auburn
Hills, including
times of high
occupancy at
services, classes and programs
when the department assigns
officers to provide an extra
presence.
The Chabad Jewish Center
of Troy has engaged with more
than 800 Jewish families on the
east side of Oakland County,
including those who live or
work in Troy, Rochester Hills
and Auburn Hills, said Caytak,
who lives near the center in
Troy with his wife, Chana, and
their four daughters, Chaya
Mushka, 4, Rochel, 3, Sara, and
Hudi, 7 months.
In addition to services, the
center offers a Hebrew school,
teen programs, a club for
Oakland University students
and “events aimed at bringing
the Jewish community together
in an engaging and Jewish
way,” Caytak said.
“For most of our families,
this is the first encounter
with Judaism and the Jewish
community, and with
everything happening in
Israel, and all the antisemitism
throughout the world, people
are visibly shaken,” he added.
“Many people and families
OUR COMMUNITY
Local police help Troy Chabad center with security.
Good Neighbors
BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Officer Brian Miller
Rabbi Caytak with Officer
Brian Miller from the Auburn
Hills Police Department
and Zev Haas, a community
member from Auburn Hills.