With professionally-run Community Security Initiatives now operating in all 141 Jewish Federation communities—providing security training to communal institutions, assisting with security funding, and liaising with law enforcement—Jewish Federations are doubling down on their work on the front lines of fighting antisemitism, bolstering civic engagement to build the strong alliances necessary to fight hatred.
  

The announcement marks the completion of the multi-year LiveSecure initiative to build a Jewish security infrastructure through the United States and Canada, infrastructure that has disrupted countless potential attacks. At the time of the Tree of Life shooting in 2018, only a handful of communities had professionally-run security initiatives.
 

“Today, we can say with pride and great relief, we did it,” said Executive Vice President Shira Hutt during Monday’s General Assembly plenary. “But we know that safety today can't only be measured by security cameras and guard posts alone because the threats we are facing are not only physical - they're social, political, and cultural.”
 

Hutt made her comments during the second day of Jewish Federations General Assembly in Washington, DC, where more than 2,000 Jewish leaders from across North America have gathered. This year’s conference is focused on confronting the monumental challenges the Jewish community faces and how to leverage its powerful resilience to build a stronger and safer Jewish future.
 
That means continuing to combat the antisemitism which has seeped into the mainstream of public life and into our schools, workplaces, universities, and online spaces, Hutt said.

“Our next challenge is not only to secure our buildings, but to strengthen the front lines of civic engagement and bridge-building across our communities, to build relationships with our neighbors, educators, business leaders, and public officials,” Hutt said. “We must carry forward the same sense of urgency and focus that made LiveSecure possible, and apply it to the new frontier.”

Community safety will be fortified by engaging deeply with civil society and by investing in relationships that sustain us, Hutt said.
 
Another plenary highlight including an exploration of how Jewish communities are navigating a complex and rapidly changing threat environment, and how to protect Jewish life today.

The discussion included Olivia Reingold, staff writer for The Free Press; Rev. Juan Rivera, president of the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition; and Zibby Owens, founder of Zibby Media.

Reingold said she began wearing a Jewish star rather than hide her Jewish identity.

“If you have a problem with Jews and Judaism, just say it to my face,” Reingold said.

Rivera weighed in on how to prevent antisemitism from seeping into his own community of Hispanic Evangelical Christians.  “We've got to remind ourselves that Candace and Tucker are not our pastors, and when they venture out into language that is antisemitic, that minimizes antisemitism, that's against Israel, then we've got to call that out,” Rivera said, referring to recent controversies of online media figures.

 

Monday’s plenary began with a welcome video from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
 

“I want to tell you that we have an indelible partnership. We are one people. We have one destiny,” he said. ”We have one future, but we have to secure that future by standing up to those who do not accept our existence, who do not accept our rights, and do not accept our right to have a state … I know all the good things that you do. I know the great partnership between us, and I ask that you do one thing – stand up and be counted.”