Security Is a Team Sport: Building a Culture of Collective Responsibility

By David Yaffe, Chairman of Federation’s Security Advisory Board

“Security starts with us in the community.”

This was the message delivered by Captain Ian Clark of the Montgomery County Police Department to more than 50 attendees from across the DMV at an all-day summit on April 8. Formed in 2023, JShield is the community security service organized by and housed within the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. The theme that prevention of threats to Jewish institutions and members of the community is not a duty that can be solely delegated to “the professionals” or hiring of security guards for events but requires, among other things, situational awareness, preparation and planning, communication and development of strong relationships with local and federal law enforcement and experts in the security space.

In his keynote address, former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff shared insights that resonated with participants, outlining several high-level factors contributing to the increase in threats to the Jewish Community. He began by explaining the buildup of stress within the U.S. over the last few decades. He identified the stress as developing from the 2008 recession, the COVID lockdown, foreign policy issues, tariffs, declining confidence in where the U.S. stands in the global landscape, and domestic terrorist attacks. Concurrently, with the increase in stress comes a heightened sense of threat and uncertainty and, subsequently, a reduction in personal inhibitions. He closed by emphasizing the importance of developing a culture of security in communities and that security is a team sport.

Rusty Rosenthal, the Executive Director of JShield, began his remarks by echoing this sentiment–emphasizing that JShield does not and was never intended to work in isolation. He described the partnerships that JShield, as a new agency, has forged with similar organizations focused on the Jewish community, such as Secure Community Network, ADL, JCRC, and other Federations’ security departments, federal and local law enforcement agencies.

The presentations by Rosenthal and his team focused on the extensive expertise that each brings to the improvement of the security posture in the Jewish community.

Laura Katzif, Northern Virginia Security Advisor and Security Director at Pozez JCC highlighted her background in emergency preparedness—and the importance of understanding that threats to well-being go beyond active shooter to extreme weather, domestic feuds within families that are sometimes acted out in schools, and other dangers. Her perspective involves identifying risks in an organization and how to mitigate them. She identified the emergency preparedness process and the types of plans that might be needed. She characterized much of the approach of the JShield team as “teaching adaptability” because real-life conflict doesn’t follow a script.

Shay HaLevi, Deputy Director of Community Security, described the human reaction to threats and how he brings his training to individuals within an organization on a human level. That training ranges from breathing techniques for remaining calm to how a greeter may best approach an unknown person in an organizational setting.

Adam Bronstone, Grants Specialist, highlighted the assistance JShield provides in assisting organizations effectively apply for security grants. He also provided insight into the confusion about the current commitment to funding such grants in the future.

Ty Mooney, JShield Intelligence Analyst, explained the importance of reporting each incident on JShield’s Incident Reporting Form. That form allows JShield and its partners to receive information simultaneously. Additionally, JShield is working to refine the reporting forms to distill more actionable data for our region.

A summit highlight was a panel led by representatives from the Fairfax County, Montgomery County, and D.C. Metropolitan Police Departments. The consistent message they conveyed was to report any and all incidents, both big and small. They also took some time to explain the distinction between a hate bias incident versus a possible hate crime and took questions from attendees.

The summit also included a discussion of the relevance and possible continued threat posed to the United States by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. One panelist emphasized that the one common element among both foreign and domestic terrorists and extremists on both the right and the left is antisemitism.

Participants and panelists applauded the summit not just as an informative session but as a convening of all those in the community who either study, work to prevent, or want to forestall terrorism and other threats to the Jewish community.

JShield plans to hold the summit annually as it continues to increase its impact on the community and its awareness and participation in its own collective security.