Monday, June 30, 2025
In DC, Hundreds of Jewish Leaders Advocate to Increase Security Grants
Hundreds of Jewish leaders convened in the nation's capital June 25 and 26 to ask Congress and the Trump administration to act to protect Jewish Americans nationwide from violence.
The nearly 400 Jewish leaders from more than 100 major Jewish organizations across the country who participated in emergency meetings had one message: "Jewish security cannot wait."
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia CEO Michael Balaban said that the issue has hit close to home for many — including Pennsylvanians, whose Jewish governor, Josh Shapiro, was attacked this year — but that all Jewish communities are feeling the need to advocate for themselves right now.
"The purpose of this trip is [to advocate for security] in the wake of [the] Boulder, D.C. and the governor's mansion [attacks]. We're seeing a continued rise in antisemitism, and moreover, antisemitic violence. We're seeing it play out in the streets; we're seeing it play out in antisemitic protests," he said.
The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations led the United for Security Emergency Leadership Mission in response to the recent attacks targeting Jewish events in Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colorado.
"We are facing an unprecedented situation in American Jewish history where every Jewish institution and event is a potential target for antisemitic violence," Eric Fingerhut, JFNA's CEO and president, said in the press release.
He added that the safety and security of the Jewish community must be elected officials' top priority going forward.
"Whatever other issues the Jewish community may care about, whatever differing opinions we may hold on some of those issues, we are united for security," Fingerhut said.
Throughout more than 200 meetings on Capitol Hill, advocates pushed for a six-point security policy plan for the Jewish community:
• Increase the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $1 billion annually
• Provide federal support for security personnel costs for synagogues and Jewish institutions
• Expand FBI resources to fight the "domestic and global war on terror"
• Fund local law enforcement to protect Jewish institutions
• Regulate hate speech and "incitement to violence" on social media
• Enforce and prosecute existing hate crime legislation
The $1 billion will provide Jewish institutions with "hardened" security and increased personnel, according to Gil Preuss, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. He added that it can cost up to $150,000 for a synagogue to hire a full-time security guard.
Groups of advocates met with their representatives, sharing personal experiences about their local Jewish communities' security concerns.
Balaban said that the goals of this trip were, in part, to get dedicated funding for security guards and personnel.
"It's harder and harder to ensure that we've got security guards. We can't just hire any run of the mill individual," he said. "We need to hire trained individuals. We typically hire off-duty police officers. If you want experience, you have to pay for it."
The Federation also wants to see enhanced intelligence capacities to combat domestic terrorism, as well as the capability to better monitor social media platforms and hold people using hate speech on them accountable.
The emergency meetings come as American Jewish communities are increasingly fearful for their safety and concerned about the "escalating geopolitical tensions" between Israel and Iran, according to the press release.
Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., addressed the Jewish leaders in attendance about the current situation in the Middle East as the U.S. prepares to meet with Iran.
"The basis of any agreement pursued with Iran has to be: 'There is no more attempt to annihilate the Jewish state, the Jewish people,'" Leiter said.
Balaban said that Jewish institutions have done a lot to ensure that their buildings are safe, but that there is still work to do.
"On one hand, the physical structures of our institutions have become more secure," he said. "They need to become even more secure."
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