A host of officials turned out this morning in support of the Williamsburg Jewish community to decry the burning of 11 mezuzot there.

David Pollock offered the following statement:

Williamsburg is a community of faith and the mezuzot affixed outside our doors represent our faith in the spiritual protection divinely promised to our ancestors in Egypt and extended to us throughout the centuries. No vandal, however filled with hate, could ever undermine that.

The fact that the vandals chose to strike on Holocaust Remembrance Day is especially horrifying. The physical protection of New York’s Jewish community is safeguarded by the NYPD. The Hate Crimes Task Force joined with the local precinct in order to muster every appropriate resource for the investigation. We have faith that they will apprehend those responsible so that they may face the full weight of our criminal justice system.

@UnitedJewish @chriscquinn @StephenLevin33 @scottmstringer @NydiaVelazquez @assemblymanjoe @TishJames @DanielSquadron @jcrc

The Jewish Federations of North America applauds today’s Congressional approval of $10 million in new funding to nonprofits through the Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).

The allocation was included within the just-completed Fiscal Year 2013 Continuing Resolution. Though the win was hard fought amid difficult budget discussions, the approved funding will help ensure that a minimum of 127 grants for at-risk nonprofits will be available this year. These federal funds help bolster the security of nonprofit institutions deemed by the Department of Homeland Security to be vulnerable to terrorist attacks, including many Jewish organizations and institutions.

“We are grateful that nonprofits will once again benefit from this funding that is so critical to the ongoing safety of our communities,” said Michael Siegal, chair of the JFNA Board of Trustees. “These security grants are vital to the ongoing protection of at-risk institutions, enabling us to work, worship, gather and learn without fear.”

Threats to Jewish institutions continue to be a national security concern. Though the Nonprofit Security Grant Program has taken a number of funding hits in recent years, with funding at the $10 million level, the NSGP will be able to remain a program that is impactful, tangible and preventative.

“Since September 11, nonprofits generally, and Jewish communal institutions specifically, have been the targets of an alarming number of threats and attacks,” said William Daroff, JFNA’s vice president for Public Policy. “We are incredibly grateful for the bipartisan, bicameral support for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program as it is a proven, critical resource that helps supplement the work of local and federal law enforcement to help keep us safe.”

Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) has been the stalwart champion of the NSGP since co-sponsoring the establishment of the program with the late Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. Sen. Mikulski’s efforts are supported by her Senate Appropriations counterpart, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), as well as House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY), and Senate and House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee leaders including: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN), Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Rep. David Price (D-NC), among others.

JFNA thanked Congressional leaders and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano for their support of this vital program, and expressed gratitude to partners including the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel, the Jewish Community Relations Councils of New York, Washington, Baltimore and Indianapolis, and Federation communities including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Seattle, Boston and Las Vegas.

JFNA works with partners to sustain the program and serves as the leading technical resource to hundreds of Jewish grant applicants annually. JFNA continues to work with Congress to ensure that the NSGP continues in Fiscal Year 2014, and to press the Administration to support continuing and strengthening the NSGP in 2014.

“We are acutely aware of the dangers that exist for Jewish institutions in our communities,” added Daroff. “That is why the Jewish Federations and our partners urge the Administration and Congress to continue supporting this program and why we work with schools, synagogues, Federations and Jewish Community Centers to successfully guide them through the Homeland Security grant process.”

Created by Congress in 2005, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program has successfully carried out its mission to support nonprofit organizations that are at increased risk of terrorist threats and integrate nonprofit preparedness activities with broader state and local preparedness efforts.

JFNA, along with key communal partners, facilitated the establishment of the program, and spearheaded its own security initiative, the Secure Community Network. Since the program began, Congress has appropriated $138 million toward NSGP, which is distributed within designated high-risk areas across the country to help nonprofits acquire and install physical security enhancements intended to deter and detect terrorists and extremists.

Many kinds of nonprofit organizations that were affected by #Sandy are eligible for “public assistance” from FEMA. The grants cover at least 75% of an organization’s uninsured and underinsured damages and certain labor and equipment costs directly related to storm response. If you have any specific questions feel free to contact David Pollock (212.983.4800×132) or Marcia Eisenberg (212.983.4800×137) both can be reached at info@jcrcny.org.

Thanks to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, NY Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (NYDHSES) Commissioner Jerome M. Hauer and its Chief of Public Assistance Christopher Holmes; the deadline for nonprofits applying for FEMA assistance is now December 30, 2012 January 28 February 27th in NYC, Nassau and Suffolk (see later posts for other counties).

We hear the collective sigh of relief, but remember: each nonprofit applicant will have a FEMA/NYDHSES team assigned on a first come-first served basis. Organizations should submit the complete Request for Public Assistance package as outlined below (found here) ASAP. You are not considered an applicant until all documentation is submitted. If you delay submitting the package you will be further back in the queue. To help the team assigned to you, try to make your initial submission as complete as possible.

If you have any specific questions feel free to contact David Pollock (212.983.4800×132) or Marcia Eisenberg (212.983.4800×137) both can be reached at info@jcrcny.org.

Read on for specific guidance to complete the forms.

Read More Deadline extension for FEMA nonprofit assistance

Jewish institutions should take prudent measures to increase their  vigilance.

• US Postal Inspection Service Guide to Mail Center Security (PDF) Written mainly for large organizations, the Guide will help all organizations to set up solid policies and procedures.
• Sample Building Access Policies and Procedures (PDF) Learn how to balance the goals of having your institution be both welcoming and secure.
• Security Awareness (PDF) Terrorist acts and other attacks are often preceded by active surveillance of a target location; learn how to detect hostile surveillance before an incident occurs. By Paul DeMatties, Senior Advisor on Corporate Security Programs and Director of the Counter-Terrorism Assessment Program, John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

The NYPD has stepped up security around the United Nations, various diplomatic missions and other sensitive sites throughout the city amid increased violence in Gaza, a department spokesman said Thursday.

There were no specific threats, but the security measures were put in place as a precaution as violence mounts in the Mideast, the spokesman said.

The increased security presence comes as Palestinian militants barraged Israel with nearly 150 rockets on Thursday, killing three people as Israel pressed a punishing campaign of airstrikes on militant targets across the Gaza Strip.

Israel launched the offensive on Wednesday, killing the head of Hamas’ militant wing and destroying dozens of rocket launchers.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York

Today, in response to intensified rocket attacks from Gaza, Israel began a military operation named “Operation Amud Anan” or “Pillar of Defense,” targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad leadership, and rocket launching sites and weapon storage facilities.

Between October 22-24, 2012, seventy-seven rockets were launched against Israel, and from November 3-4, 2012, more than 100 were launched, with many landing in Israeli population centers. Today, as part of this operation, an Israeli airstrike killed Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari, who Israeli security sources say was responsible for anti-Israel terror activity emanating from the Gaza Strip over the past decade, including the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006.

Individuals seeking retaliation for the operation may be drawn to Jewish or Israeli targets. ADL currently has no information regarding a specific threat against any Jewish institution. Nonetheless, it is worth taking extra precautions.

Below are strongly recommended action steps.

Action Steps

• Review and practice security procedures.  In particular, review with all personnel their role in security.   Ensure that your staff members, including newly hired personnel, and all volunteers know what to do in the event of an emergency.
• Instruct staff and congregants to keep their eyes and ears open for anything unusual or suspicious. (See more information below.)
• Ensure that your institution’s rules and procedures dealing with who gets into your facility (access controls) are sufficient and enforced.
• Review mail handling practices and procedures. If vigilance has slipped in mail and package delivery safety procedures, now is the time to revisit this area. (See more information below.)
• Make sure that any security devices, communications equipment, and/or video cameras are working properly and being properly used.
• Connect with local law enforcement to discuss security.  If you have not established personal relationships with key police personnel, set up a meeting to do so.

Suspicious Activity

Keep your eyes and ears open for: 

• Unusual behavior
• Suspicious packages and strange devices
• Requests for information, particularly about your security system or procedures
• Attempts to by-pass or test your security
• Someone taking photographs or video of your institution
• Someone sitting in a vehicle for an extended period of time; and/or
• uncooperative or dismissive behavior

If someone’s behavior strikes you as suspicious, make note of:

• Details about their behavior
• Gender, age, and physical description
• What they are wearing
• A description of any vehicle by make, color, and license plate
• The date, time, and location of the occurrence

Trust your instincts. If something strikes you suspicious, contact law enforcement immediately.

Suspicious Packages

All letters and packages should be hand-sorted and screened for the following:

• Powder
• Excessive postage
• Misspelled words
• Addressed to title only (e.g., President or Rabbi)
• Rigid or bulky exterior
• Badly-typed or written
• Strange odor
• Lopsided
• Oily stains on wrapper
• Wrong title with name
• Protruding wires

Note: In addition to these indicators, your observations and intuition are two vital elements in identifying suspicious packages.

If you are suspicious of a package:

• Stop. Don’t open, handle, shake, taste or smell.
• Isolate the area immediately; keep others away.
• Call 911.
• Wash your hands with soap and water.

You may refer to ADL’s security manual Protecting Your Institution and find additional information on creating a security plan, access control, crisis management, and more, at ADL’s security website: www.adl.org/security.