Jewish Security Alliance of NY/NJ will
Share Intelligence, Resources and Training

In the aftermath of a series of violent antisemitic plots threatening synagogues in New York and New Jersey, eight leading organizations serving the Jewish community in New York and New Jersey have joined forces to create a clearinghouse for information sharing, training, and resources — the Jewish Security Alliance of NY/NJ.

The new alliance formalizes; existing relationships, establishes a streamlined process for information sharing on credible threats, and establishes mechanisms that will help bolster the safety of the entire community. This partnership comes at an important moment for the Jewish community in these two states, with antisemitic incidents in the U.S. again reaching historic levels in 2022, and with New York and New Jersey coming in first and third, respectively, among states having the highest number of reported antisemitic incidents.

The newly formed alliance consists of five Jewish Federations, ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), the Community Security Initiative (CSI) of New York, a joint program of UJA-Federation of New York and JCRC-NY, and the Community Security Service’s Northeastern Division (CSS). The five Federations are the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Jewish Federation in the Heart of NJ, Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties, the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County, and the Jewish Federation of Southern NJ. The Jewish Security Alliance of NY/NJ has four key objectives:

• Serve as a central point of contact for federal and local agencies on issues and incidents affecting the safety and security of the Jewish community in greater New York City and New Jersey;

• Serve as a reliable and inclusive source of information on threats or other security issues affecting the Jewish community in New York and New Jersey;

•  Receive incident reports from Jewish institutions and community members and share these reports among the members of the alliance and with relevant law enforcement authorities;

• Provide security recommendations and training for Jewish institutions and its members to better safeguard the community in this region.

“Over the course of the last year and the relentless tempo of antisemitic threats that see no border between New York and New Jersey, our eight organizations have forged a strong operational alliance against hate which has become an integral part of the solution to protect our communities,” said Mitch Silber, the Executive Director of the Community Security Initiative, a joint program of UJA-Federation of New York and JCRC-NY.  “This alliance enables seamless regional coordination yet allows all the organizations to continue to work with other national Jewish security partner organizations, including the Secure Community Network (SCN), to safeguard the New York – New Jersey Jewish population of approximately two million people, or 1/3 of American Jewry.”

“With the rise of antisemitism, it is incumbent upon us an organization that equips and empowers the Jewish community across the country to protect itself, to closely partner with local and national organizations, as no one entity can tackle hate alone,” said Evan R. Bernstein, National Director and CEO of CSS. “In the current security environment of heightened awareness, it is critical to forge new local partnerships, and further our existing national accords with ADL’s Center on Extremism and the Secure Community Network (SCN). Our Northeastern Division leadership and network of trained security volunteers stand ready to work within this new alliance to ensure better communication and coordination with the ultimate goal of improving our safety outcomes.”

“The past year has seen multiple, serious threats against Jewish communal institutions in New York and New Jersey, some of which could have proven far more lethal had it not been for the diligent joint work of our community partners and law enforcement,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “These threats serve as a reminder that we must remain vigilant against future attacks, which is why it is so important for our communal organizations to be working as closely together as possible on issues of security.”

“This announcement formalizes the strong, existing partnerships between our organizations and will enable us to serve our communities more effectively,” said Scott Richman, Director of ADL’s New York/New Jersey Region. “By joining forces, our organizations will be able to improve our communal security and respond more efficiently to potential threats.”

“Enhancing security coordination across our contiguous state borders will benefit both our communities and coordination with law enforcement,” said Hindy Poupko, Deputy Chief Planning Officer, UJA-Federation of New York.

“As CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC-NY),” noted Gideon Taylor, “I am very pleased to see this collaborative partnership involving CSI working with Jewish federations across the region to better secure our communities.”