August Monthly Update
- Arrests, Convictions, & Sentencing
- High Holidays
- Intelligence & Information Sharing
- Threat Landscape
As we approach the start of a new academic year and the High Holidays, the safety and security of our Jewish community has never been more critical, and our team — along with the entire network — of security professionals has never been harder at work to reinforce and expand our efforts.
Through critical initiatives like our Camp Security Initiative undertaken with the Foundation for Jewish Camp, our partnership with Hillel International and the surge of resources we are providing to campuses this fall through “Operation SecureOurCampuses,” and our annual High Holidays Safety & Security Webinar Series, our operational security efforts have extended beyond the normal state of play — we continue to enhance our efforts to foster a renewed culture of preparedness, collaboration, communication, and support that empowers our community and allows them to feel safe navigating their daily lives.
Amidst the challenges that come with this unprecedented threat environment, I am heartened by the resilience and unity that I see emerging across our community. Throughout the country, Jewish organizations, educational institutions, and law enforcement agencies are putting our heads together and creating innovative solutions in service of our shared goal of ensuring that every member of our community can live, learn, and practice their faith without fear.
Whether you are a student returning to campus, a parent welcoming a child back from camp or sending them off to school, a congregant preparing for the holidays, or simply going about your daily life, know that we are working to ensure your safety. Your right to express your Jewish identity proudly and openly is paramount.
As the heightened threat environment persists, and shows no signs of abating, I take comfort in the unwavering faith in our community’s strength and resilience. Time and again, we have demonstrated that difficult times only serve to fortify our bonds, strengthen our resolve, and help us carry out our obligation to one another to continue the rich and enduring traditions of a proud people.
Stay safe,
Michael G. Masters
National Director & CEO
Secure Community Network
Notable Arrests And Convictions
Indiana: On 23 July, Andrzej Boryga, 67, was sentenced to 24 months in prison for sending violent antisemitic threats to ADL (Anti-Defamation League) offices in New York, Texas, Colorado, and Nevada. Boryga used antisemitic slurs and threatened to assault or kill Jewish people. He was charged with willfully transmitting threats in interstate commerce and targeting victims based on their religion.
New Jersey: On 23 July, Dion Marsh, 29, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for a 2022 rampage targeting visibly Orthodox Jews in Lakewood, NJ, which included carjacking, stabbing, and attempted vehicular homicide.
Margaretville, New York: On 30 July, Joseph VanBlarcom, 20, was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment as a hate crime and aggravated harassment in the second degree after allegedly swerving his vehicle and yelling bias obscenities at three Jewish men.
Brooklyn, New York: On 01 August, Taylor Pelton, 28, was arrested for criminal mischief and criminal mischief as a hate crime. She was allegedly involved in vandalizing the home of the Brooklyn Museum’s Jewish director with red paint and slogans including “Blood on your hands” and “white supremacist, funds genocide” during anti-Israel protests on June 12, 2024.
National Engagements
In August, SCN co-costed a roundtable discussion in partnership with the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) to examine the events, threats, and security concerns Jewish students faced during the protests and encampments on U.S. college campuses in the spring of 2024 and to identify best-practice strategies for when school resumes in the fall.
The roundtable was convened as part of SCN’s mission to prepare and protect the Jewish community, to identify what went wrong on college campuses across the country, and to determine how campus administrators, law enforcement, and the broader community can better ensure the safety of Jewish students going into the fall semester.
Following the convening, SCN released 10 key steps for college campus administrators and leadership to adopt to protect Jewish students and staff. These recommendations were informed by the roundtable participants, to include representatives from law enforcement entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), the National Fusion Center Association (NFCA), the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA), the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); Jewish security professionals; and campus law enforcement representatives from 92 colleges and universities across 24 states.
Read SCN’s 10 key recommendations for college campus administrators and leadership to adopt to protect Jewish students and staff.
This Saturday, CBS Weekend News featured a segment on SCN’s efforts to ensure the safety and security of North America’s Jewish communities in response to the unprecedented increase in threats and targeted violence post-October 7.
The report included a walkthrough of SCN’s National Jewish Security Operations Command Center (JSOCC), coverage of an SCN training with partners in Orlando, Florida, and interviews with SCN National Director & CEO Michael Masters, Senior National Security Advisor Brad Orsini, and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Congregation.
Additionally, the profile explored key inflection points impacting North America’s Jewish security apparatus, including lessons learned from the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and increased communal cooperation post-October 7.
Watch the full CBS Weekend News segment here.
Community Engagements
This past week, SCN and Hillel International announced an effort to expand resources to over 50 college and university campuses as the fall semester gets underway, in response to the increase in safety and security incidents stemming from antisemitic activity affecting Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
“Operation SecureOurCampuses” will leverage SCN’s national, regional, and local resources, along with the national network of security professionals, to deploy critical resources to protect Jewish students at colleges and universities, to include: full-time intelligence analysts dedicated to monitoring campus developments and providing intelligence support; assessments of Jewish facilities on campuses; direct consultations on physical security and emergency plans and procedures; and enhanced coordination with law enforcement and public safety officials and centers of Jewish life, including fraternal organizations, religious institutions, and other campus groups.
SCN is also launching a new training initiative designed specifically for Jewish students, faculty, and staff that will be made available to the identified campuses. The training will provide Jewish students with critical skills in situational awareness and instruction on what to do if confronted by protesters and demonstrators, how to report incidents, to include with law enforcement, and how to respond in potentially life-threatening situations. Operation SecureOurCampuses builds on the existing safety and security program SCN runs in partnership with Hillel International.
Read more about Operation SecureOurCampuses in the New York Post and JTA.
Community Engagements
In August, SCN announced significant progress in working to address the safety and security needs at over 300 Jewish day and overnight camps this past camp season. Through the SCN Camp Security Initiative, undertaken in partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC), participating camps have been connected to SCN’s state-of-the-art intelligence and information-sharing system in addition to being able to receive assessments, physical security guidance, and trainings, working closely with SCN’s Camp Security Initiative Director, Jim Tarasca, in addition to the localized network of security professionals who regularly liaise with camp facilities and staff on the ground.
Supported by a challenge grant from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and an anonymous donor, SCN and FJC initiated efforts for the Camp Security Initiative in April. Since its launch, SCN and FJC have provided specialized training programs and workshops to over five dozen day and overnight camps, reaching 3,100 participants across 24 U.S. states and Canada. These proprietary programs are tailored for counselors, administrators, and camp executive leadership, enhancing their preparedness and response capabilities. This initiative has greatly benefited all camps, especially those camps that are not supported by the infrastructure of local community security efforts.
The initiative for this camping season began with regional kick-off events for FJC-affiliated camps, fostering collaboration and distributing SCN’s latest camp safety and security guidance. SCN also organized comprehensive training sessions, sharing up-to-date safety guidelines, resources, and core drills such as Stop The Bleed® and Countering Active Threat Training (CATT). Beyond training, SCN’s security professionals conducted site walkthroughs and assessments to enhance security, refine emergency procedures, and assist with state and federal nonprofit security grant applications.
High Holidays Safety & Security Webinar Series
In August, SCN began our 2024/5785 High Holidays Safety & Security Webinar Series, our annual series designed to help Jewish communities across North America prepare for the holiday season. Throughout this series, presented with experienced security professionals and law enforcement executives during an increasingly complex and dynamic threat environment, we look forward to helping all Jewish organizations enjoy meaningful and engaging High Holiday worship.
In addition to informational webinars, two complete series of training webinars will be offered to support congregations and facilities hosting High Holiday events as they prepare to welcome members, guests, students, and the community for a safe, warm, and welcoming High Holiday experience.
Register for all High Holidays Safety & Security webinars today by visiting SCN’s High Holidays page.
Trending Stories
Jerusalem Post: Hillel and SCN launch new campus security initiative to protect Jewish students
eJewish Philanthropy: SCN partners with Hillel to protect Jewish students on dozens of campuses
NBC Chicago: Security partnership aims to reduce Jewish hate and prevent threats on college campuses
Jewish News Syndicate: Secure Community Network releases guidance to protect college students
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