Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) has awarded a substantial security grant through LiveSecure to Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. The matching grant, secured thanks to donations raised by our Federation, will enhance overall security for Jewish organizations all over Atlanta’s metro area.
LiveSecure is a $130 million campaign launched by JFNA in 2021 with the goal of securing every Jewish community across North America and saving lives. It is the largest initiative in history to secure North American Jewish communities.
Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, says, “LiveSecure is the collective responsibility of every Jewish community. This campaign is a tremendous investment in our Jewish future, because only when we can safely and freely participate in Jewish communal life can we build flourishing Jewish communities.”
Atlanta’s Jewish community raised $1.5 million in order to receive the full matching grant of $750,000 from LiveSecure. The funds will be used by Federation to hire a dedicated grant writer for non-profit security grant applications, provide security for community-wide events and festivals, begin the initial phase of installing a community-wide panic alarm system, and more.
Neil Rabinovitz, Atlanta’s Community Security Director, says “This grant and subsequent fundraising will enable us to enhance overall security throughout the entire community. We’re so thankful for all the donors who recognized this need to keep the community safe and secure.”
Atlanta’s Jewish organizations (including Federation, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, synagogues, day schools, and other organizations and agencies) are protected by the Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America. SCN was established by JFNA and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in the aftermath of 9/11 to secure the American Jewish community. Over the last two decades, community security initiatives across the continent, including those managed in partnership with SCN, have saved countless lives and thwarted a multitude of potential threats against Jewish people and institutions.
The LiveSecure grant comes at a timely moment, as we observe the one-year anniversary of the Colleyville hostage crisis. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, of Colleyville’s Congregation Beth Israel, has credited the security training he received through SCN to saving his life, and the other hostage’s lives, during the attack. This grant will ensure that Atlanta’s Jews continue to have access to the highest possible level of security infrastructure.
