By Omri Nahmias
WASHINGTON – The day after the horrifying attack on Chabad synagogue in San Diego, the discussion about the challenges that the Jewish community is facing regarding the security of institutions such as schools and synagogues has resurfaced.
Key community figures agreed Sunday that while a lot has been done since the Pittsburgh shooting last October, there are still many challenges with funding of security and training in local communities.
Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, told the Jerusalem Post that his organization advocated for increasing allocations of federal and local funding for security in Jewish institutions.
“A decade ago we helped create the federal nonprofit security grant program to which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gives grants,” he added. “We got a record $60 million allocated to last year’s budget and then again this year. And those applications for this year’s money, DHS just put out an announcement a couple of weeks ago inviting application, this is going on right now.”
He added that he’s currently lobbying to increase that amount to $75 million next year. Read more