The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington announced on Jan. 13 that 10 Jewish institutions in Washington, D.C., will receive a combined $642,000 in security grants from the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.
The grants issued are part of the Safe and Secure DC Nonprofit Fund, which the JCRC advocated for and worked with Mayor Muriel Bowser and city council members to create.
“As antisemitism continues to put Jewish communities at risk of harm in the nation’s capital and beyond, policymakers must respond not just with words, but with action. We’re grateful to Mayor Muriel Bowser, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah, and the DC City Council for doing exactly that,” JCRC CEO Ron Halber and JCRC D.C. Government and Community Relations Director Rachel Feinstein said in a statement.
The program is designed to help community-based nonprofits and faith-based organizations in Washington, D.C., increase ongoing security measures, allowing recipients to use grant dollars not only for equipment, but also for recurring security needs.
“These investments will provide Jewish children and families with greater protection and more peace of mind when they attend their synagogues, schools, community centers, and other cultural institutions,” Halber and Feinstein said.
First created in 2025, awarding a total of $500,000 to 11 nonprofits, today the program awarded 12 institutions with a total of more than $746,000. In each case, 10 awardees were Jewish institutions.
The grantees included Adas Israel Congregation, the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School, Sixth & I, Temple Micah, Temple Sinai, The Georgetown Synagogue — Kesher Israel Congregation, Tzedek DC, and Washington Hebrew Congregation.
“This grant will help [WHC] continue to strengthen our physical security measures and enhance armed security at our synagogue, which will help keep congregants safe and bring them greater peace of mind during these challenging times,” said Craig Goldberg, director of safety and security at Washington Hebrew Congregation. “We very much appreciate DMPSJ making this important funding available. [WHC] is also thankful for the efforts of the [JCRC] of Greater Washington, which strongly advocated for these much-needed grants to be funded for nonprofit organizations in D.C., particularly Jewish institutions facing a sharp spike in antisemitic hate crimes.”
“[Jewish] organizations have grown, and it’s invaluable to us and to building the security capacity we need to ensure that the JCC is safe and can continue to be a welcoming space together as a community,” said EDCJCC CEO Jennifer Zwilling.
Similar grant programs have existed in Maryland, Virginia and on the federal level for years; however, grant funds were restricted to only be used for one-time purchases.
Roughly five years ago, the JCRC helped establish the Montgomery County Nonprofit Security Grant Program — which provided $1.2 million in grants in 2025 — alongside County Executive Marc Elrich and County Councilmember Andrew Friedson.
Halber told Washington Jewish Week in an interview that the Safe and Secure DC Nonprofit Fund was based off of the success of the Montgomery County Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
“We were really thinking about the gaps that existed in government-provided security funding … It’s easier when you’re purchasing something for a single time,” Halber said. “But operating dollars or the hiring of off-duty police officers or other armed security personnel is an ongoing expense, which means you’ve got to commit to it every year, and that’s a very high cost for synagogues.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi, recently being the target of an arson attack.
In addition to advocating for an increase in funding locally, the JCRC is also advocating for the increase in funds for national programs. “One of our goals for the future is going to be expanding these type of programs, into other counties around the region, and to raise the amount of dollars available,” said Halber.
“The Jews constitute 2% of the population, and about 70% of the religious-based hate crime in the United States is against the Jewish community,” Halber added. “That, in addition to the tensions that are going on in the Middle East, is creating a very insecure environment for Jewish institutions, and we need additional funds. The federal program, which anybody can apply to, … is mostly used for capital items and for renovations, and very hard to use for operating costs.”
Along with the announcement of funds being awarded, the JCRC said it is now urging D.C. leaders to expand the program to $1 million. “These additional resources will help counter the ongoing spread of antisemitic threats and violent attacks that have become all too common against our community and others. We are pushing for similarly strong investments in Maryland and Virginia to further protect Jewish families and institutions across the DMV,” Halber and Feinstein said.
