Safety and security of the Jewish community is of primary importance to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, which empowered a community security committee chaired by Evan Wyner to review protocol and make recommendations to enhance efforts based on national-level data and research. The Federation conducts an ongoing series of training to advance safety and security knowledge. Recently “Stop the Bleed” training was provided to JCC, Federation and Foundation staff, agency and synagogue leadership and local law enforcement. Stop the Bleed is a 90-minute course including a presentation and hands on practice in pressure application, wound packing and use of tourniquets. Training was led by and in collaboration with Yale New Haven Hospital and the Woodbridge Police Department.
On a national level, Jewish Federations of North America is partnering with Anti- Defamation League (ADL) and Secure Community Network (SCN) to enhance the safety, security and resiliency of religious communities.
Following the October 27th attack on the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, the ADL and SCN came together to address hate, anti-Semitism and threats as well as violence targeted at the Jewish community in the United States.
Given that many threats impact all faithbased institutions regardless of affiliation, and as seen in the tragic attack on the Muslim community in New Zealand, the Task Force will develop best practices that can enhance the safety, security, and resilience of all faith-based communities.
The task force will develop best practices to increase coordination and cooperation related to incident tracking, information sharing, reporting and addressing threats, as well as building partnerships within and across communities. Building from the experience and expertise developed within the Jewish community, and inclusive of other faith-based communities, the task force will make recommendations to more effectively address hate crimes while enhancing safety and security for all faith-based institutions.
A working group will include team members from ADL and SCN, a range of faith and community leaders, as well as representatives from local, state and federal law enforcement, among others.