Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 31, 2022

Rockland Jewish Federation & Foundation security project

The Rockland Jewish Federation & Foundation announced a new security initiative called LiveSecure at the Rockland Jewish Community Campus in West Nyack July 28, 2022.

Peter Carr, Rockland/Westchester Journal News

WEST NYACK Rising violence against Jews in Rockland and across New York and the nation has spurred county Jewish community leaders to create a formalized security apparatus to protect residents and institutions.

The Rockland Jewish Federation and Foundation announced on Thursday a first-of-its-kind security initiative in collaboration with the UJA Federation of New York and LiveSecure project. Rockland is the first community of nearly 150 Jewish federations to benefit from the LiveSecure project.

LiveSecures mantra is Antisemitism is not historical. It is not theoretical. It is not distant. It is here. It is now.

With that in mind, the program led by a retired New York Police Department officer in the departments emergency services division is to ensure the safety of Jewish residents and institutions amid rising antisemitic incidents of harassment, vandalism, and violence.

Antisemitism: New York led all states in antisemitic incidents in 2021, report says

Hate crimes weighed: Police weigh hate crime charges in wake of comments at Haverstraw meeting

Rockland DA: 'Zero tolerance for hate crime, antisemitism, bigotry'

While the Rockland Sheriff's Office and other police departments work on security with Jewish institutions, including increased patrols after violent incidents across the nation and in Israel, this initiative is more comprehensive and comes from the community.

Advocates said the initiative would provide regular security assessments, active shooter and volunteer training, and federal and state government nonprofit security grant program application assistance, develop a coordinated intra-community security network and coordinate with local and county-wide law enforcement.

The idea, advocates said, is to stay ahead of the hate and prepare synagogues, schools, and other institutions. The sponsors also hope to share the initiative with other groups in Rockland.

There are real threats to our community, Ari Rosenblum, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Rockland, said during a news conference to announce the initiative. We dont need to reach far to remember.

Rosenblum and other speakers sadly cited, as examples, violence at synagogues in Pittsburgh, where there was a mass shooting, and in Colleyville, Texas.

In Rockland, there was the December 2019 machete attack on Hasidic Jews celebrating Hanukkah at a rabbis house on Forshay Road, killing 72-year-old Josef Neumann and injuring five others. A month prior to that attack, someone brutally stabbed and beat a 30-year-old rabbi walking to a synagogue onHoward Drive in Monseyduring the pre-dawn hours.

And incidents of Jews being verbally harassed and threatened at government meetings, and the victims of people throwing eggs and shooting BB pellets at them have occurred. Ramapo police made arrests.

The number of antisemitic incidents across New York City and its suburbs increased substantially in 2021,according to an Anti-Defamation League report.

While the largest increases in antisemitism occurred in New York City's five boroughs, the report said,Rockland and Westchester counties saw a rise in the percentage of reported incidents,raising concerns among Jewish leaders.

Rockland's eight reported incidents marked a 100% increase over 2020 while Westchester's reported 23 incidents jumped 28%, according to the ADL report.

Ethan Erlich will bring his 21 years with the NYPDas director of the Rockland Security Initiative.

The Rockland community faces unique security challenge, Erlich said in a short statement at the news conference. Working together we can make progress on our shared goals.

The Rockland program will collaborate with security initiatives in New York City and the suburbs, said Mitch Silber, executive director for the Community Security Initiative. The citys initiative started in February 2020 and endeavors to protect 2,000 institutions and 1.5 million Jewish people.

We want to create an iron dome of protection from Monsey to Montauk, Silber said, referring to the Israeli anti-missile battery system.

Rockland District Attorney Thomas Walsh said theres no place for hate in Rockland County and people who violate hate crime laws will be prosecuted to the fullest extent. Several people were recently arrested for throwing objects and shooting BBs at Jewish residents walking in Ramapo.

He noted Rockland's diversity of religious and ethnic groups across the county.

There is no place for hate in our Rockland County, Walsh said. It cannot and will not be tolerated. Take a trip across Rockland County. Its like going aroundthe world.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him atslieberm@lohud.com. Twitter:@lohudlegal. Read morearticlesandbio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

Read more here:

Rockland Jewish organization creates long-range security against hate - The Journal News

Category: Jewish
Tags: