Taking Responsibility for Our Own Security

by Daniel E. Levenson

JERUSALEM– The recent revelation that a group of men who were angry about the war in Afghanistan were plotting to attack both a United States military target as well as two New York synagogues is, sadly, not that surprising.  While it may be difficult to logically trace the connection between   the war in Afghanistan to a decision by terrorists to target synagogues, if we put it in a larger context of a conflict between not just radical Islam and the west, but of the Jewish people and Islamic fundamentalism, a disturbing picture emerges of angry American radical Muslims intent on striking out at the people they see as their enemies, namely, the Western world and Jews.  I have written before about the need for greater vigilance and security at Jewish institutions in the United States, but when I read about this incident in the news, it brought the point home even more that we need to be responsible for our own security.

I strongly  believe  that all Jewish institutions, regardless of how low they may perceive the level of threat to be to their individual organization, need to start taking steps to increase security. We need to have surveillance cameras outside all institutions, and someone needs to be paying attention to those cameras to watch for patterns of suspicious behavior – typically, if someone wants to attack a building, they do surveillance first, and as the New York Times reported online, these men did just that. The second thing institutions need to do is put in place armed security, especially for large public events.

The most important thing that Jewish institutions in America need to do, however , is to put in place a clear security protocol, not just a contingency plan in case of an actual emergency, but an outline of what every person should do if they see something that does not look right. All employees need to be  aware that if they see anything suspicious - a door propped open when  it should not be, visitors who want to take pictures inside a building, a car left in a parking lot that does not belong to anyone on the staff – these incidents  need to be logged and if deemed potentially a threat, investigated by the appropriate people.

Increasing institutional security will not be an inexpensive endeavor, but I believe it is a vital one. Perhaps there are even ways to share resources between organizations and to enlist the help of members of the Jewish community who have law enforcement experience. It was luck followed by thorough police work that saved a military airplane from a stinger missile and the people inside those synagogues from two car bombs this past week, but luck is not something we can afford to rely on. If we want to keep our communities safe, we also have to act.

Copyright Daniel E. Levenson 2009.