Community Magazine January 2016

SARINA ROFFÉ N umerous incidents in recent weeks, including strange or unwelcome visitors entering synagogues, have the leaders in our community on heightened alert. There is widespread belief by security experts that our facilities are being profiled. What is more important than the safety and security of the thousands of people who enter our synagogues, our schools, and other community buildings? As a community, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in our infrastructure and these buildings – and the people who use them – must be protected. All around the community, cameras are being installed, guard protection increased, locks are being changed, and entry doors to facilities are being more carefully monitored and limited. The security of the 10,000 students attending yeshivot in our community is a major concern. One community member told me she will no longer attend certain synagogues until security is improved. In policy-changing legislation, NYCouncilman David Greenfield and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, reached an agreement with Mayor Bill de Blasio to enact legislation that provides non-public PROTECTING Our Yeshivot and SECURING Brooklyn Community Facilities The news is filled almost daily with reports of terrorist attacks around the world – Paris, Brussels, Seattle, Kansas City, Ottawa and Brooklyn – to name a few. There is a sense that the world is out of control as fanatics walk the streets and attack the innocent. Where will it end? schools with private security officers. The mayor is expected to sign the bill into law by press time. While most of the yeshivot in our community have guards on duty, as well as cameras and some security, the cost for the guards is included in students’ tuition. By alleviating the schools of the cost of paying the guards, school security costs will decrease significantly. Under the final bill, yeshivas, Catholic schools, and other private institutions with 300 or more students will be able to hire unarmed security and get reimbursed by the city for the cost of their salaries. Larger schools will get more guards, based on 500 student increments. A school with 1,000 students, for example, will receive three security guards (one guard to be allotted for the first 300 students, another guard for the next additional 200 students, bringing the student figure to 500, and another guard for the next 500 students, for a student body of 1,000). About 200,000 city students will be covered by the legislation. Schools with a Universal Pre-K program already receive security funding, and UPK students cannot be counted toward the total number of students in the school for security purposes. IN THE FACE OF TERROR : 30 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE