As Hanukkah celebrations approach, security at synagogues, community centers and schools in the D.C. area is a concern.
“Something we always say: Security is a process, not a product,” said Rusty Rosenthal, director of community security with JShield, the in-house security department of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
That JShield exists speaks volumes.
Houses of worship try to maintain an open-door policy, mindful, though, of how those with ill intent can exploit such a policy.
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“Now, the institutions have better doors, and they keep the doors closed, and there’s locks and there’s cameras keeping an eye on things,” Rosenthal said.
JShield has been around for about a year and is responsible for community security throughout the greater D.C. area.
“We have an intelligence analyst that helps monitor all of the various incidents and any nefarious chatter that might be out there targeting our events, or our facilities or our people. And obviously, there’s plenty of that these days,” Rosenthal said.
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He said he believes American Jews are having to cope with security considerations already familiar to some Jewish communities abroad.
“You see institutions and synagogues in Europe or South America, and they look a lot differently than they do here,” he said. “I mean they’re in walled-in compounds with locked gates. So, it’s really not new generally, but it’s a little bit more of a culture shift here in the United States.”
Communities are trying to respond to difficult times without overshadowing a season of celebration.
