Under the leadership of Jewish Community Relations Council Chair David Gordon, our reconstituted JCRC is focusing specifically on increasing our relationships with members of the interfaith/intergroup community and our elected officials. We believe that the growing challenges of antisemitism, including its manifestation in hatred of Israel, require that we increase our efforts to work with and support constituent groups in the broader community so that, in turn, the broader community will understand and support us.

As a result of the alarming spread of antisemitism and the related violent attacks on the Jewish community and its institutions, Jewish Federations across the country have been required to commit substantial resources to protecting our buildings and training our community members in how to respond to a potential attack.

 

Accordingly, Jewish Federations across the country have hired highly trained professional security directors to protect our synagogues, schools, JCCs and other Jewish organizations. Here at UJF, we are blessed to have Jim Comstock as our Federation Security Director.

 

Until now, churches and other faith organizations have, for the most part, not felt the need to focus on security in the manner that the Jewish community has been required to do so. However, the heinous attack on children at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis reminded us all that it is not only the Jewish community that is vulnerable to hateful attacks.

 

In response to the attack, UJF organized a security seminar specifically for non-Jewish clergy and institutional lay leaders so that they could benefit from Jim’s expertise. We were pleased that clergy and lay leaders from about ten churches and other houses of worship attended the program. Those in attendance appreciated learning from Jim. Just as important, the interfaith participants made it clear that they were thankful that UJF and the Jewish community cared enough to offer the program.

 

Although some of the attendees were long-time friends of the Federation and Jewish community, many had never had the opportunity to be in a Jewish institution or to participate with the Jewish community..

 

While it is sad that the Jewish community has been forced to become so focused on security, we were very pleased to be able to help our friends and neighbors in the faith community. That is part of our mission. However, we also know that thinking of others and taking advantage of opportunities to get to know our neighbors can also be a critical component of our effort to increase the number of people who will stand with -- and stand up for-- the Jewish people when it is most necessary.