July Monthly Update
There has never been a time in the history of the Jewish people in the United States when we have faced a more difficult — or concerning — threat environment.
The way to address and overcome that threat environment — from chants of pro-Hamas slogans in our streets to attempts to block the entrances to our synagogues — is to work together. By working together, and standing together, we will be in a better position to confront those who would seek to harass or intimidate us.
Recognizing this, the Secure Community Network has worked diligently to strengthen its existing partnerships and embark on new ones.
This past month we announced a first-of-its-kind intelligence and information-sharing partnership with the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago (JUF). By placing a dedicated full-time Intelligence Analyst focused on the specific security needs of Chicago’s Jewish community within SCN’s Chicago-based National Jewish Security Operations Command Center (JSOCC), JUF and SCN will be working more closely than ever to identify issues, threats, and events that may impact the Jewish community in Chicago and coordinate with key partners, like law enforcement, to address them.
This model, which will increase the safety and security of our Jewish community, is one we hope to replicate with other partners.
As the summer winds down, so too does our camping season, made safer by the collaborative effort between the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) and SCN. This camp season, we worked to identify and enhance resources to protect over 440 camps, and we look forward to increasing this for next year.
With the end of summer comes the beginning of the new school year. We are working with key partners, from Hillel International to other campus organizations, to prepare for the back-to-school season and the security situation on our campuses.
Similarly, SCN announced — in coordination with co-sponsors The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and others such as the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) — our 2024/5785 High Holidays Safety & Security Webinars Series. The annual series, relied upon by organizations and community members across the country, has been announced earlier than ever this year to give people as much time as possible to prepare for our High Holy Days.
The security and safety issues facing our community continue to increase — but so too does our commitment to ensuring that nothing will stop us from living our lives, honoring our traditions, and maintaining our culture as Jews — proudly and publicly. By working together, we can continue to ensure that we can do this — and that our future generations will be able to do so as well.
Stay safe,
Michael G. Masters
National Director & CEO
Secure Community Network
Notable Arrests And Convictions
Boise, Idaho: On 04 July, Hannah Tucker, 28, and Crystal Grosenbach, 38, were arrested for malicious harassment after allegedly making antisemitic comments and physically assaulting a man wearing a kippah in downtown Boise.
Washington, D.C.: On 10 July, Ariel Golfeyz, a visibly Orthodox man, was allegedly assaulted in Foggy Bottom by Walter James, who was charged with simple assault motivated by hate or bias. James allegedly attacked Golfeyz while making anti-Jewish statements related to the war in Gaza.
East Brunswick, New Jersey: On 11 July, Andrew Takhistov, 18, was arrested by the FBI for allegedly soliciting the destruction of energy facilities to advance his white supremacist ideology. According to charging documents, he espoused antisemitic views, praised Hitler, wanted to attack a synagogue with a Hamas-style rocket, and repeatedly referenced the Tree of Life Synagogue shooter as inspiration. He is charged with soliciting the destruction of a public service facility and faces up to 10 years in prison and a $125,000 fine.
New York, New York: On 15 July, Michail Chkhikvishvili was indicted in the Eastern District of New York for planning a mass casualty attack against racial minorities and Jews in New York City, including distributing poisoned candy to children at Jewish schools. He faces charges of solicitation of violent felonies, conspiracy to solicit violent felonies, distribution of information on making and using explosive devices, and transmission of threatening communications. He was arrested in Chișinău, Moldova, on July 6 on a Interpol warrant.
Staff Updates
In July, SCN announced the hire of Michael Butsch as the Regional Security Director for Regions 1 and 2, which encompass New England, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
Butsch, a Connecticut native, brings 30 years of professional law enforcement expertise and national as well as homeland security experience, including service in the U.S. Coast Guard and over 24 years with the FBI. His FBI assignments included work with the New York City Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and the bureau’s New Haven office, where he served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge, as well as an international role as the FBI’s Assistant Legal Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.
In his role, Butsch will oversee five SCN-led security programs encompassing eleven Jewish Federations in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts while collaborating with local independent security initiatives in Regions 1 and 2. His responsibilities include consultations, organizational assessments, training, grant support, threat mitigation, and response coordination for critical incidents affecting Jewish residents and facilities. Butsch will also contribute to the newly launched Camp Security Initiative in Regions 1 and 2, which host dozens of Jewish summer camps.
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
In July, SCN announced a landmark partnership with the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago (JUF). This collaboration significantly enhances intelligence and information sharing by embedding a dedicated full-time Intelligence Analyst within SCN’s Chicago-based National Jewish Security Operations Command Center (JSOCC), focused specifically on serving the security needs of the metropolitan Chicago Jewish community.
This initiative represents a first-of-its-kind direct partnership between a local Jewish federation and the JSOCC, SCN’s 24/7 central hub for intelligence gathering, information sharing, threat monitoring, and analysis. The JSOCC employs a state-of-the-art proprietary technology stack called the Realtime Actionable Intelligence Network (Project RAIN) to identify potential risks, threats, and trends that could impact Jewish life and shares them with law enforcement and community partners on the ground in real time.
At a time of unprecedented threats impacting the Jewish community across the United States, this partnership ensures direct open lines of communication between SCN’s national nerve center and JUF. The collaboration will enable JUF to both deposit requests for intelligence and receive early warnings of potential threats, enhance visible security measures, monitor special events, and integrate seamlessly into SCN’s model, utilizing the organization’s national partnerships and relationships to bolster the security capabilities of the Chicago Jewish community.
“This first-of-its-kind collaboration with JUF puts Chicago at the forefront of an integrated national model for Jewish safety and security,” said SCN and JUF Board Member and Chair of JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council Wendy Berger. “By embedding an Intelligence Analyst within our JSOCC, we can offer the Chicago Jewish community tools and support that are only possible to utilize by operating within our nerve center. This model can be replicated in other large cities to enhance the security of Jewish communities across North America. We are always stronger when we work in close collaboration and communication to keep our community safe.”
“With antisemitic hate incidents and hate crimes surging in the metropolitan Chicago area, this partnership could not have come at a more important time,” said JUF Board Member and Chair of JUF’s Security Committee Michael H. Zaransky. “Chicago-area Jews, whether they live in Hyde Park or Highland Park, should be able to live public Jewish lives without fear of harassment or worse. This partnership will help make this a reality.”
Community Engagements
In the wake of the campus protests and encampments SCN monitored in the 2024 spring semester, our Director of Campus Safety and Security, Kerri Reifel, and the SCN Operations team have been hard at work preparing Jewish campus organizations and institutions with guidance and resources ahead of the new school year to ensure the safety of Jewish students, faculty, and staff, and ensure campus preparedness.
Throughout the summer months, Reifel has been working diligently to continue offering trainings, assessments, event security planning, consultations, briefings, and more to campus Hillels and other Jewish student groups across the country, to include visits to George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, and Washington University in St. Louis.
Since 07 October 2023, our team has trained over 200 people, briefed over 350 community members, and provided assistance in building security plans for over 10 events in partnership with Hillel International, in efforts that span more than 33 states.
Community Engagements
With anti-Israel protests on campuses and threat incidents rising across the country, Jewish community members are asking themselves “is it safe to be Jewish?”
To answer important questions facing Jewish community safety and security, SCN National Director & CEO Michael Masters traveled to Aspen, Colorado, on July 8th for “Our Own Iron Dome,” a conversation on the current threat dynamic and how SCN and partners are working together to protect Jewish life in a post-October 7th world.
High Holidays Safety & Security Webinar Series
In July, SCN announced the full schedule and registration information for 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.
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