6 | NOVEMBER 14 • 2024 J
N
1942 - 2024
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S
ix years ago, I knelt in
Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life syn-
agogue several days after the
attack. It was still a crime scene. I felt
the bullet holes in the walls. In the
prayer books.
I remember the
blood.
Several years before,
a gunman ran through
our New Jersey com-
munity’s streets, firing
at law enforcement next
to Jewish schools and
buildings. Explosive devices were left
in our cemetery and at a synagogue.
People with bad intent came to our
facilities.
As a New Jersey Federation exec, I
helped build a strong and successful
community security platform. But
that’s not enough for what we need.
As I step into my new role as CEO
of the Community Security Service
(CSS), the importance of this organi-
zation and the work we do feels more
critical than ever. CSS, the National
Jewish Defense and Security Agency,
was founded with the mission to pro-
tect Jewish life and institutions across
the United States, a mission that has
grown even more essential as antise-
mitic incidents become alarmingly
frequent. What was once an occasion-
al, isolated threat has now become an
unfortunate and constant reality for
Jewish communities nationwide.
(Editor’s note: The Jewish Federation
of Detroit provides for security through
a local agency, Jewish Community
Security Inc. JCSI is independent and
not affiliated with the national CSS.)
CSS has been preparing for this
moment for nearly two decades, pro-
viding essential training to help our
community members enhance secu-
rity and situational awareness. We’re
seeing the results of that preparation
every day, and it’s clear our work is a
vital part of ensuring Jewish life can
thrive safely in America. But recent
incidents underscore just how urgent
and pressing our work has become.
A NEW REALITY OF THREATS
These past few weeks alone, we
witnessed horrific, targeted acts
against Jewish individuals in two
major American cities. In Chicago,
a 39-year-old Jewish man walking
to his synagogue on Shabbat was
shot by an assailant shouting Allahu
Akbar (“God is great” in Arabic). And
in the Crown Heights neighborhood
of Brooklyn, N.Y. — a vibrant,
Chabad-centered Jewish community
— a slashing attack sent shockwaves
through the neighborhood. These
aren’t isolated incidents; they reflect a
disturbing trend of rising antisemitic
attacks in public spaces where Jews
have every right to feel safe.
We’re witnessing a surge in phys-
ical assaults, acts of vandalism, and
harassment in cities and neighbor-
hoods previously thought to be safe
havens for Jewish life. This increase
extends beyond physical spaces, with
antisemitic rhetoric proliferating
online and often spilling over into
real-world violence. Our campuses,
neighborhoods and institutions are
all affected. Hatred of Jews has, in
many ways, been normalized, with
incidents so frequent that they are no
longer considered shocking.
Dov
Ben-Shimon
JNS.org
PURELY COMMENTARY
opinion
Why Security
for the Jewish
Community
Is Needed Now
More Than Ever