Milestone: Every Jewish community now in LiveSecure process

Jewish Federations of North America are proud to announce that every Jewish Federation in North America is now involved in the LiveSecure process, a critical milestone in securing our Jewish communities.


Federations launched LiveSecurethe largest philanthropic effort to secure the Jewish community in historyin the aftermath of 2018's Tree of Life massacre to ensure that every community has a professional Community Security Initiative (CSI) to provide synagogues, JCCs, schools, camps, and other Jewish institutions with training and best practices, and serve as a liaison with law enforcement. The effort accelerated following the hostage-taking in Colleyville's Beth Israel synagogue on January 15, 2022.


"Thanks to the generosity of a small number of critical national donors, thousands of local matching donors, and the hard work of our local professionals, every single Jewish Federation is now in some stage of the LiveSecure process," said Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut.


"Now, in the aftermath of Hamas’s brutal attacks, with antisemitism on the rise, we are grateful that so much of this work has been completed and are determined to put in place the most comprehensive self-protective measures available to our communities."


The initiative has not only provided critical trainings to help leaders prevent, defuse, or mitigate violent situations, but also allowed Jewish institutions to develop close working relationships with local law enforcement, alert each other to threats, and fortify their facilities.


Already the number of CSIs has more than quadrupled, from roughly 25 in 2018 to over 100 today.


In recent months, as antisemitic rhetoric, actions, and attacks have soared, Jewish communal institutions across North America have been prepared to assess and quickly respond to threats in coordination with their Community Security Initiatives.


As we prepare to mark 100 days since the horrific October 7th terrorist attacks against Israel, we will continue to work closely with every Jewish Federation to ensure they successfully complete the LiveSecure process to build and develop the Jewish Security infrastructure they need to build flourishing Jewish communities.