Since the 2018 Tree of Life massacre, Jewish Federations have worked to build security infrastructure—professionally run Community Security Initiatives, often in partnership with the Secure Communities Network (SCN)—in every Federation community to meet the rising tide of antisemitic threats and keep the community safe.
The vast majority of the potential attacks this system has prevented go unreported, but a thwarted attack against synagogues in Alabama in late October provides a taste of what happens behind the scenes every day in communities across North America to keep Jews safe.
On October 28, the Clarke County Sheriff's Office arrested a 33-year-old man who had threatened violence against local synagogues. When law enforcement executed a search warrant on the suspect’s home, they discovered weapons, ammunition, and other items he allegedly planned to use to further inflict violence.
The arrest could not have happened without the critical behind-the-scenes role of the Birmingham Jewish Federation (BJF) and its Community Security Initiative.
Margaret Norman, Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Birmingham says that the October attack was foiled after the BJF's Regional Security Advisor, Damon Summers, “received notice of threats made to a member of our community and properly utilized SCN’s resources to provide timely and actional information.”
The history of close coordination between the BJF and local law enforcement through the Community Security Initiative helped police act quickly and avert a potentially devastating crisis. Maintaining clear, efficient communication ensured that no one entity was working in isolation, and as a result, swift and coordinated action could be taken to protect lives.
“Our institutions have faced incidents ranging from bomb threats to a 2022 arson attempt targeting one of our local synagogues,” Norman says. “These incidents underscore the importance of preparedness and coordination.”
The story showed the effectiveness of the security infrastructure that Jewish Federations of North America built in partnership with local Federations and the Secure Community Network through the $130 million LiveSecure initiative.
Launched in 2021, LiveSecure was born out of the urgent need to keep Jewish communities across North America safe from the imminent threats evidenced by antisemitic attacks in Pittsburgh, Poway, Monsey, and Jersey City. Since then, dozens of communities like Birmingham, Alabama, have built LiveSecure infrastructure that has saved countless lives.
Beyond protecting the local Jewish community, the BJF has also utilized grant funding from the Tepper Foundation to share security best practices through interfaith trainings and partnerships, “building bridges across faith and cultural lines,” as Norman describes it. Following the latest threats to Alabama synagogues, the JCRC invited community partners to a security training, where they will strengthen relationships, share the challenges they face, and learn about communal concerns.
While the BJF’s security infrastructure has proven that it works, “[i]t’s important to recognize the strain that rising security needs place on all Birmingham Jewish organizations,” Norman points out. “With rising antisemitism and growing operational needs, sustaining and expanding these systems remains a pressing priority.”
The BJF is now dedicated to ensuring that the Jewish community continues to have the security resources necessary to confront the wide array of threats it faces. Through meetings with elected officials at the state and local level and advocating for increased allocations through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, the BJF is a prime example of how Jewish Federations are on the frontlines of combating antisemitism.
“We are using this unfortunate incident as a chance to share with our local, state and national lawmakers the need for funding to support the robust security infrastructure that in this case was vital to preventing a potential attack,” Norman says.
