Category: Community Security & Antisemitism

Prepared by Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Office
Shared by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

On Wednesday evening, two powerful earthquakes measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela less than a minute apart, causing widespread destruction. Search-and-rescue operations continue as emergency crews race to locate survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings. Tragically, at least 235 deaths and more than 4,300 injuries have been confirmed, though both figures are expected to rise. Hundreds of people are verified as missing, and communications outages and extensive damage in Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira have left tens of thousands temporarily unaccounted for with families frantically searching for loved ones. Tens of thousands have also been displaced, with many sheltering in public buildings and open spaces as aftershocks continue.

International assistance is mobilizing rapidly, although damage to Maiquetía International Airport has complicated the arrival of international rescue and humanitarian teams. The United Nations is coordinating urban search-and-rescue efforts, while the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Spain, France, Italy, and El Salvador have deployed rescue personnel, medical teams, equipment, and humanitarian supplies. Relief organizations are also providing emergency food, shelter, and medical assistance.

Impact on the Jewish Community

Nearly all of Venezuela’s approximately 3,000 Jews live in Caracas, where many buildings in Jewish neighborhoods sustained damage. Three community members have been confirmed dead, and one remains missing after the building they were in collapsed. Sadly, those numbers are expected to rise. Several community members have been left homeless, and the community is working to secure temporary housing. Despite the tragedy, community leaders report a strong sense of calm and coordination, having quickly accounted for members, assessed the needs of older adults and those experiencing anxiety, and provided appropriate support.

Our hearts are with the Jewish community of Venezuela and all those affected by these devastating earthquakes. We mourn those who lost their lives and pray for the swift recovery of everyone who has been injured.

JDC Response

JDC has maintained a longstanding presence in Venezuela through its partnership with the Jewish community, supporting a welfare and humanitarian aid network for its most vulnerable members. JDC was in contact with community leadership within minutes of the earthquake and remains in close communication to assess urgent needs, including conditions at key community institutions now serving as shelters. Immediate priorities include shelter management, essential supplies, water, sanitation, electricity, safety, psychosocial support, and operational coordination.

JDC has also launched a non-sectarian response through JDC GRID (Global Response and Innovative Development), its humanitarian and disaster response arm. In partnership with the local community, it is prioritizing the delivery of food, safe drinking water, and other essential supplies to the hardest-hit and most difficult-to-reach areas, including La Guaira. As access improves, JDC plans to provide medical organizations with critical supplies and support temporary shelter for displaced families.

The Jewish Agency Response

The Jewish Agency for Israel activated its Overseas Emergency Desk immediately following the earthquake and has remained in continuous contact with community leadership. It is providing immediate assistance to affected community members, including temporary housing and other essential support, and has established a dedicated hotline through its Global Center for Venezuelan immigrants in Israel and those seeking information about immigrating to Israel.

In recent years, through its JReady program, the Jewish Agency has helped strengthen the community’s emergency preparedness through resilience and trauma training and emergency planning. As a result, the community has responded to the crisis in an organized and effective manner, while JReady continues to provide guidance and ongoing support.

This crisis highlights the value of the global emergency response network that Federations have built and sustained. Thanks to our ongoing core support, the North American Jewish community was able to respond immediately and will continue to stand with the Jewish community of Venezuela for as long as needed.

Additional Humanitarian Response

The Israeli government has said it is preparing for the possibility of sending an aid delegation. “The Foreign Ministry is holding a situational assessment with the relevant figures in Israel and is determining ways to help,” it said in a statement on Thursday morning. However, the absence of diplomatic relations between Israel and Venezuela would complicate any deployment.

Other Jewish and Israeli humanitarian organizations have also mobilized, although Israeli organizations face challenges obtaining visas for Israeli passport holders. IsraAID has deployed its global Emergency Response Team, working with specialists from neighboring Colombia to assess needs and support affected communities. Cadena International, HIAS, and World Jewish Relief are coordinating with local partners to assess needs and prepare emergency assistance. NATAN is dispatching medical and mental health professionals, while SmartAID is deploying search-and-rescue personnel along with water purification systems, telecommunications equipment, and clean energy units, particularly for remote areas.

The Venezuela Earthquake Relief Fund has been established by JFNA, our national Federation partner, to provide immediate humanitarian assistance and support long-term recovery efforts.

A toddler paints a paper menorah in preschool. A congregation gathers for Shabbat morning services. Teenagers laugh together at a local leadership group. Seniors meet for lunch at the JCC. Students learn Hebrew after school.

These moments are what Jewish life looks like across Greater Washington on any given day.

Behind the scenes, long before anyone walks through the doors of a synagogue, preschool, JCC, or Jewish organization, community leaders are working tirelessly to help ensure those spaces remain safe, resilient, and prepared.

That’s why the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is thrilled to welcome Laura Katzif as its full-time Community Security Advisor (CSA) serving Northern Virginia and DC.

Expanding JShield’s Reach Across Greater Washington

For the past two years, Laura has supported JShield, Federation’s community security initiative, in a part-time capacity. Now, in this expanded role, she can continue to increase JShield’s capacity to help Jewish institutions strengthen their security, prepare for emergencies, and build lasting partnerships with local law enforcement.

We all know why this expansion matters right now. The need for robust security is a constant reality we live with as a Jewish community. In a climate of rising antisemitism, we’ve seen devastating reminders right in our own backyard and around the world.

Protecting our community requires much more than just reacting to crises. That’s where JShield’s real value comes in. We don’t believe in “touch-and-go” interventions where someone shows up, checks a box, and leaves. JShield meets our local organizations exactly where they are and helps them build a permanent, proactive culture of security. All free of charge, thanks to our donor community.

Laura brings this exact hands-on mission into her daily work as Community Security Advisor. She works directly with synagogues, schools, and communal spaces throughout Northern Virginia and DC, providing strategic guidance, conducting safety assessments, and delivering training tailored to each space. By also serving as a trusted, everyday liaison with local public safety partners, Laura is helping us build a deeply rooted ecosystem of preparedness and collective resilience.

Decades of Security Leadership

Laura brings more than two decades of experience in corporate security, emergency management, crisis response, and business continuity to the role.

Before joining JShield, she served for six years as Director of Security at the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, overseeing incident response, physical security systems, threat assessments, grant administration, security personnel, and community training. Her career has also included leadership roles with Georgetown University’s Office of Public Safety, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Fairfax County’s Health Department and Office of Emergency Management, and the World Bank Headquarters Security Office. She is also a certified firefighter-paramedic and an active member of both ASIS International and the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals.

Security Is About People

But for Laura, security is about much more than emergency plans.

“I truly believe that faith organizations can act as anchors of neighborhoods by providing community gathering spaces, social services, childcare, education, and other vital resources,” she says. “The safer, more secure, and resilient they are, the more likely the community surrounding them is too. The faith community is interconnected, and whether some want to admit it or not, what affects one community affects everyone.”

That philosophy reflects JShield’s broader mission, helping Jewish organizations continue doing what they do best, bringing people together.

Building a culture of security isn’t about hardening our spaces or living in fear. It’s about protecting the vibrant community life happening inside them. It’s about making sure our children can learn without worry, our families can celebrate together with peace of mind, and our neighbors can gather freely.

Together, We’re Protecting What Matters Most

Security-focused giving through Federation helps keep Jewish life across Greater Washington safe and resilient. And thanks to a generous $250,000 match, gifts to JShield will unlock up to $750,000 in impact for our community. 

Your support helps JShield continue providing the training, coordination, and resources that strengthen the security of Jewish institutions throughout our region.

Please consider making a gift to support this critical work. 

I just finished Stained Glass by Flora Cassen, a book that explores antisemitism’s effect on Jewish identity. She puts into words what’s been on my mind lately, which is that this is a challenging time for many to navigate Jewish expression. At times, life as a Jew in the DMV feels pretty great. We have amazing institutions, myriad forms of programming across a variety of interests, and an actively engaged community. And yet, there’s another dynamic afoot. Something that causes us to question whether we should put on a Star of David, wear a shirt with Hebrew writing, or plan a Jewish event in public.

By way of a snapshot, in the same historical moment in which public schools in our area are designating days off for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, vandals are spray-painting swastikas on desks. What are we to make of such a juxtaposition?

I don’t want to minimize the way in which our community has become ingrained in the fabric and rhythms of the region and the country more broadly. As others have said, almost any generation in Jewish life would trade their circumstances for ours. What Cassen points out, however, is that we have a lingering sense of insecurity based on centuries of history and, with a rise in antisemitism, a new and justifiable sense of unease.

Our job as a Federation is to recognize and shape our reality to the best of our ability and to build, continuously, toward a better future. That means supporting our communal ecosystem to be able to double down on the good and push back against the bad. We are situated at the epicenter of Jewish life in Greater Washington and can partner with, convene, and mobilize individuals and agencies to help more people live proud Jewish lives, as publicly or privately as they choose, independent of any external factors.

This work includes tackling antisemitism for the sake of current and future generations, in addition to helping more people deepen their ties to the ongoing story of the Jewish people. We don’t have to classify this moment as positive or negative, golden or threatened. What matters is that we move forward as a community in pursuit of a future that we define for ourselves.

We are here to strengthen a Jewish ecosystem capable of spurring Jewish pride and connection while doing what we can to influence the landscape of Jewish life in America, no matter which way the winds might blow.

In Pirkei Avot, we’re taught: “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” In the Torah, we are commanded not to stand idly by when our neighbors are in need.

These Jewish values—responsibility, solidarity, and action—were loudly heard last week when hundreds of Jewish leaders and advocates gathered on Capitol Hill to advocate for the safety and security of our Jewish communities nationwide.

More than 400 leaders from 82 Jewish communities came to Washington, DC as part of The Jewish Federations of North America’s Security Fly-In. Representing Jewish Federations, synagogues, JCCs, schools, camps, Hillels, community relations councils, and security organizations, participants arrived carrying not only policy priorities, but deeply personal stories.

The Greater Washington delegation, organized by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington alongside partners including Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, met with members of Congress and congressional staff from across our region, including Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.

Every Person Had a Story

Before those meetings began, something else happened in the room: people shared their fears, their exhaustion, and their determination.

Every person present had a story of how their community has had to grapple with rising antisemitism and security concerns.

A synagogue leader explaining the impossible budgeting decisions communities now face as security costs continue to rise. A parent describing that their five-year-old child knows not to enter their synagogue building if there’s no security on duty. A camp professional talking about the responsibility of creating joyful Jewish experiences while also preparing for emergency scenarios no one ever imagined would become routine.

Eddie Rubin, a parent at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan where there was an antisemitic attack in March, shared: “I need people to understand what ‘inches away’ meant.” If the car packed with explosives made it just a few more inches, “That’s my kids classroom, where he’s sitting. Had [the attacker] been able to get out of that car, he would have been inside my kids’ classroom in seconds. And my kids would not be here today.”

The emotion in the room was palpable. Many spoke about how difficult it has become to accept heightened security as “the new normal.” Communities are doing everything possible to keep people safe, but funding has not kept pace with the growing threats facing Jewish institutions and other faith communities across the country.

Turning Personal Stories Into Advocacy

And yet, amid the fear and frustration, there was also tremendous strength.

There was power in seeing hundreds of Jewish communal leaders from every corner of the country come together with one shared message: Jewish life must be protected, and our communities deserve to gather openly and safely.

Those personal stories became the heart of conversations on Capitol Hill. Our delegation urged lawmakers to strengthen federal support for nonprofit and faith-based security programs and to advance legislation like the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, which seeks to expand resources that help protect vulnerable communities.

This advocacy effort comes at a time when antisemitism and threats against Jewish institutions have reached alarming levels. Across the country, Jewish communities are being forced to make impossible choices between funding critical programs and funding the security measures needed to protect them.

In Greater Washington, our community is working proactively to meet this growing need through initiatives like JShield, Federation’s community security initiative. By leveraging trusted partnerships, strong relationships with law enforcement, and a community-wide approach to safety, JShield is helping build a culture of security across our region—one where every institution and community member understands their role in keeping our community safe.

JShield provides one-on-one consultations, emergency preparation plans, security trainings, help securing nonprofit security grants, and more to hundreds of local Jewish institutions entirely free of charge, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to safety.

Showing Up for Our Community

As we marked Jewish Heritage Month, the Security Fly-In served as a powerful reminder that Jewish identity is not only something we celebrate, it’s something we have to protect. Advocacy is one of the ways we do that. By showing up. By telling our stories. By refusing to stand idly by.

The work ahead is not finished. But last week, hundreds of voices came together to ensure that Congress heard clearly what our communities need: safety, partnership, and the ability to live Jewish life openly and without fear.

As antisemitism continues to rise around the world, the need for proactive, community-wide security is as important as ever. Our community is no stranger to this need; in March, 40 security incidents were reported across Greater Washington, targeting synagogues, Jewish schools, and other institutions. But by promoting broader community preparedness, we can build our resiliency and strength against any potential threat.

That’s why the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s security initiative, JShield, is launching the Shield Program, an expanded training platform marking a strategic evolution of its work to protect and empower the community.

The Shield Program builds on our extensive experience supporting Jewish institutions, delivering a more focused and accessible approach to training. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, it offers practical learning tailored to different roles and settings, from core safety foundations and crisis response to leadership planning, community awareness, and even self-defense.
At its center is a simple idea: security is not the responsibility of one person or one position—it’s something we all share.

“The core mission of JShield is built on the philosophy that community safety is about empowering every individual to play a role,” said Rusty Rosenthal, Federation’s Executive Director of Community Security. “This expanded platform builds on partnership with our community, delivering practical, real-world training that helps people recognize risks, respond effectively, and contribute to a culture where safety is shared. At a time of rising antisemitism, that collective preparedness is essential.”

Importantly, Shield trainings are provided entirely free of charge, removing financial barriers and ensuring that organizations of all sizes can access high-quality security support.

“I feel fortunate to have JShield as a security partner,” said Monica Saff, Executive Director of Ohr Kodesh Congregation. “They have facilitated several security trainings for my staff team and have also helped me with reporting two issues of concern and advised me about the right steps to take. It’s reassuring for our community to know that we work closely with JShield and have their guidance and support as we make ongoing decisions about security.” 

Through JShield, Federation goes beyond funding security—it helps build the habits, coordination, and awareness that make communities safer every day. The goal is not only to respond in moments of risk, but to embed security as a shared responsibility so Jewish life can be experienced fully, openly, and safely.

Find more information on security and trainings.

Through JShield, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s community security initiative, we work closely with law enforcement and Jewish institutions across our region to strengthen security, share real-time information, and coordinate response efforts across institutions that might otherwise operate independently. This work helps ensure that Jewish organizations across Greater Washington are not operating in isolation, but are prepared, connected, and supported in maintaining a safe and secure community.

Why coordination matters now

At a time when antisemitism continues to rise around the world, and in the wake of recent incidents targeting Jewish communities in Michigan, Amsterdam, and beyond, this kind of coordination is more important than ever. The JShield Security Summit is one way we put that coordination into action, bringing together community leaders, security experts, and law enforcement to share knowledge, strengthen relationships, and align on how we respond to emerging threats.

Over the course of the day, more than 100 participants gained insights from JShield and partner experts, including regional law enforcement and federal officials who shared resources to help Jewish organizations strengthen their security. Sessions focused on practical guidance, from navigating the application process for federal nonprofit security grants to developing clear plans of action in response to potential threats.

Throughout the Summit, the depth of our partnerships was clear. Law enforcement leaders and security professionals from across the region showed up not just as participants, but as committed partners in this work. Many are not members of the Jewish community, yet they are deeply invested in helping protect it—a reflection of the trust and relationships built through JShield, and of the allies those relationships have created beyond the community itself.

Strengthening a shared security system

The Summit reflects Federation’s unique role in building a culture of security in Greater Washington. Through JShield, Federation connects Jewish institutions with the expertise, information, and resources they need to strengthen not only their security, but the security of the entire Jewish community. By bringing together partners who might not otherwise share the same space—from synagogue leaders to federal agencies—Federation is working to ensure Jewish institutions, as well as the people they serve, are safer, more prepared, and better equipped to respond when it matters most.

Learn more about JShield and how Federation is working to strengthen community security.

One way that I have been thinking about antisemitism is as a kind of twisted and inexcusable stress response. In times of social or economic strain, people tend to go looking for explanations as to why things don’t work the way they want or why life feels harder. And far too often, they reach for the oldest hatred in the book as their answer. Comforted by conspiratorial thinking, they conclude it must be the Jews who are to blame.

This cycle can then be hastened by popular figures who step in and exploit people’s anxieties for their own goals. As Deborah Lipstadt explains, “[Bad actors] cannot create a fire where none exists, but they can add fuel to preexisting fires.” The more disconcerted people feel, the more they may turn to hating Jews, and the more wayward leaders will encourage those inclinations. Antisemitism and chaos are intertwined. Sadly, and to great harm, this has been the pattern for millennia.

What this means for us is that there is space to tackle the challenge from two sides: by pushing back against antisemitism explicitly and tending to the health of our democracy generally, both of which we are focused on at Federation.

Five years ago, we adopted a multi-pronged strategy to address antisemitism in our region. This includes providing funds to address antisemitism in public and private schools, developing teen leaders who can directly confront antisemitism, supporting local Hillels in their campus efforts, as well as providing critical resources to local agencies including the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).

We are also working to strengthen the relationships that underpin a healthy democracy and break down conflict by facilitating conversation among community members of diverse perspectives; deepening Black–Jewish relations; and partnering with local agencies and institutions on civic engagement efforts; all of which contribute to a more connected, stable, and resilient community.

Ultimately, fighting against antisemitism is a form of fighting for our democracy just as fighting for democracy and strengthening civil institutions is a form of fighting antisemitism. As antisemitism metastasizes, everyone loses. When we replace mistrust with credibility and community, everyone wins. It’s our civic duty to call out antisemitism and disrupt its chaotic breeding ground.

At a time when so many people are losing faith in institutions, Federation can be a steady fixture. A shared space where our community can come practice listening to those who think differently, caring for the vulnerable, welcoming the stranger, and working together toward a shared vision for the future. If antisemitism is what seeps in when our social foundation starts to crack, we can help ensure its integrity.

Prepared by Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Office
Shared by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Office has issued a detailed update on the rapidly evolving conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran, including developments in Israel, the broader region, and guidance for Jewish institutions.

As the war with Iran continues to escalate across the region and families across Israel once again take shelter in safe rooms and bomb shelters, we stand firmly with the people of Israel. We mourn the victims of the recent Iranian ballistic missile strike in Beit Shemesh, in which at least nine civilians were killed and dozens were injured. We remain in close communication with partners there as more details emerge.

Immediate Action

Federation is allocating $250,000 to address the urgent needs in Israel. Funds will be directed to existing partners on the ground, including JDC and The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), and based on evolving local needs in coordination with community partners.

Over the coming days and weeks, we will continue to evaluate developments carefully to mobilize our community to respond where support is needed most.

Security at Home

JShield, Federation’s community security initiative, remains in regular contact with law enforcement and community partners. While there are no known or anticipated security threats in Greater Washington at this time, we continue to reinforce vigilance and encourage all organizations to continue maintaining the security protocols already in place.

Community members who witness suspicious activity can report an incident here. In an emergency, call 911 immediately.

Organizational security-related questions may be directed to security@shalomdc.org.

Next Steps

Watch a live, firsthand update from Israel. Federation’s Israel Office Director, Karen Katzman, joined Gil Preuss on Wednesday, March 4 on Zoom. Speaking directly from Israel, Karen shared what she is seeing on the ground and what we are hearing from partners across the region.

Read the latest Israel update. Special briefings from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) are available on our news page.

Stay informed and engaged. We will continue to post verified briefings and share meaningful ways for our community to respond as the situation evolves.

Many have already asked how to help. Our current response is being mobilized through existing Federation resources and long-term investments stewarded by the Foundation, enabling swift and accountable action. Those who wish to contribute may do so here.

Learn more about or support our ongoing work in Israel.

Photo credit: L: Erik Marmor/Getty Image; R: Rami Slush/Reuters

I’ve been thinking about Federation’s role in Jewish life. To be fair, I’m pretty much always thinking about this. But I’m looking at the swirl of everything going on in our world, and wondering what is it that we owe our community in this moment?

As the sociologist Robert Bellah might put it (a reference I’m borrowing from a recent meeting of our Governing Board), some communities find strength in internal alignment while others rely on a series of interconnected bridges to stay strong and cohesive. Our community is likely best defined as a combination of the two. We hold a common commitment to a strong and vibrant Jewish community while operating across a breadth of differences. We must therefore continue building durable throughways to ensure we stay connected to Jewish life and each other.

This, of course, includes our work to engage our community with Israel. Core to our strategy is the goal to engage the full range of our community with the full range of Israeli society according to our community members’ own interests. This year, we’ll be continuing to work with Jewish organizations across our community to build out opportunities for more people to learn about and connect with Israel.

Additionally, as I wrote this week in partnership with scholar Ted Sasson, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is a Zionist organization. And as such, we have a responsibility to live up to our definition of the term and show people that Zionism is “broad enough to accommodate a community of Jews who hold (or grapple with) attitudes about Israel that span the range from the right to the left.”

After all, the latest JFNA study found that a majority of American Jews are struggling with specific Israeli government policies, even as they continue to believe in a Jewish, democratic homeland and Israel’s right to exist. If we care about a vibrant Jewish community, we cannot ignore this. We owe it to those deeply troubled by Israel’s actions to continue engaging them and creating the conditions for open dialogue and authentic connections with Israel and Israelis.

On a local note, our latest pulse survey found that political and social disagreements are the number one driver of disengagement with Jewish life and community. After issues of safety and antisemitism, Jews in the DC area rank political polarization as one of the most critical issues facing Jewish Greater Washington. More and more, I see a core part of Federation’s role as not only mitigating this crisis but turning our unique communal makeup into a source of strength.

Disagreement need not mean distance. Uncertainty need not mean isolation. What’s going on in the world, and certainly in Israel, is complicated and, for many, deeply personal. What matters is not that we arrive at the same conclusions but that we feel comfortable and, better yet, moved to meet each other on those bridges and find a way forward together.