Building a Vibrant & Secure Community

I hope that your Rosh Hashanah celebrations were meaningful and joyous. During these semi-quiet moments between High Holidays, I’ve been thinking a lot about what enables our Jewish community to come together in celebration, reflection, and joy. In Greater Washington, our vibrant Jewish engagement is possible because of you — our incredible community members, leaders, and organizations — putting so much care and thought into building our community. It also rests on our shared commitment to safety and security.

Keeping our community safe and secure is one of Federation’s top priorities — during the High Holidays and year-round.

Of course, in Jewish Greater Washington, where our organizations are as unique as our community members, no two organizations and no two security plans are alike.

Federation works closely with our partners at Secure Community Network (SCN) and Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC) to support synagogues and other local organizations in this essential work. Together, we are:

• Delivering security services across our Jewish community in partnership with SCN, including facility assessments, training courses, and security consults.
• Convening local organizations to learn from one another and strengthen security across the region.
• Raising crucial funds to increase available security resources for our community.
• Working to provide inclusive, welcoming, and safe spaces for all community members — because our vibrancy depends on building a community where all members feel that they belong, including in our approach to security.

We also recognize the importance of sharing our expertise and experiences with other faith communities. Just ahead of Rosh Hashanah, I co-authored an opinion piece for Newsweek with Michael Masters, Secure Community Network’s National Director and CEO, which I hope you’ll read and share with your networks. As Michael and I note, “This mutual support ensures that everyone who wants to live a life of faith can do so safely, with security approaches that emphasize best practices and protect civil rights. Together, we can keep our facilities secure while still providing welcoming and inclusive spaces for everyone.”

Thank you, as always, for keeping our community vibrant, safe, welcoming, and strong. May this New Year be one of peace and happiness for us all, and G’mar Chatimah Tovah – may you be inscribed in the Book of Life.

Shabbat Shalom,
Gil