Multifaith panel to review church security

Church Safety Measures from the Department of Homeland Security to Be Assessed by Interfaith Group

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has announced the creation of a new faith-based advisory committee with 25 members.

Faith leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh traditions, as well as law enforcement and representatives from non-profit organizations, make up the council.

Since the 2012 massacre at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, the safety of religious gatherings has become an increasingly pressing issue. It was followed by the 2015 massacre at Emanuel AME Church, a predominantly Black congregation in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2016 massacre at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas; and the 2018 massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in which eleven Jews were killed.

Not many mass murders are as well-known as those. Mosques in Victoria, Texas, and Escondido, California, were both firebombed in 2017, and again in 2019.

The department has asked the council to assist in assessing the efficacy of current security-related initiatives and to facilitate better coordination and exchange of threat and security-related information.

Nonprofits and places of worship may apply for grants from the federal government’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (a division of the Department of Homeland Security).

Budgeting for the program grew to $250 million in 2022, up from $180 million in 2021. Unfortunately, the grant is not awarded to all eligible places of worship. According to the Jewish Insider, just 1,690 out of 3,470 applications submitted this year were accepted. Several churches are lobbying for a $360 million budget increase for 2023.

According to Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, head of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and a member of the advisory council, the council’s role will go beyond lobbying for increased funding via the grant program.

White supremacy, violent antisemitism, and too many firearms in too many hands are a dilemma that, in his opinion, cannot be solved by increasing government spending. It’s not as simple as installing extra surveillance equipment. Finding the answers to these fundamental issues is essential.

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, begins on Sunday night, ushering in the High Holy Days. Attendance at synagogues all throughout the nation spikes during the holidays. Jewish officials are anticipating record turnout this year despite reduced numbers at services in the two years before due to the coronavirus outbreak. Naturally, this causes some worry regarding safety.

Joy, return, regeneration, and terror all coexist,” Pesner added.

In February of this year, a shooter invaded a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, and held many hostages, demanding the release of an inmate. In the end, an FBI hostage rescue team was able to kill the shooter and save the lives of the congregation and their rabbi.

Threats are also made against mosques and churches attended mostly by African Americans.

This council is not the first to deal with these problems. In an interview with CNN, Salam Al-Marayati, head of the Muslim Public Affairs Group, claimed he had previously participated in a Homeland Security advisory council under the Trump administration. His appointment to the new council was also announced.

Al-Mayarati remarked, “Part of the experience is knowing what other communities are going through.”

For instance, as Pesner pointed out, a heavy police presence won’t help everyone.

Overpolicing is a serious threat, and so is overpolicing in ways that hurt minority groups, who have borne the brunt of police brutality in the past, Pesner said. Our police and security measures must be proportional to the level of danger we face, while also being mindful of and compassionate toward people who have been victimized by violence.

On October 6th, the advisory council will have its inaugural virtual meeting.