In May, two Israeli Embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum. Their attacker shouted, “Free, free Palestine!”
Ever since, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington has been allocating hundreds of thousands of dollars to fortify security in the Washington, D.C., Jewish community. The latest allocation, consisting of $376,200 to more than 30 organizations, was announced this week. Back in July, the Federation distributed $462,750 to 50 organizations.
“Security is a community-wide effort,” said Rusty Rosenthal, executive director of community security at JShield, the Federation’s security initiative, after the July announcement.
Following the May attack, a community survey revealed a series of sobering findings. Among them: Local organizations had doubled or tripled their security budgets since the shooting; security fees could add up to $180 per household; and impact-resistant windows and emergency communication systems were lacking.
“We know these funds won’t erase the threat we face, but they will ease the burden on Jewish communal institutions and give them greater freedom to focus on their mission,” said Joel Frankel, senior director of community capacity initiatives at the Federation, after this week’s announcement.
