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UJA Announces the Launch of the Jewish Security Network

We are writing with an important announcement related to UJA’s efforts to strengthen our community’s security.

 

For generations, our community has thrived as one of the most vibrant, safest places to be Jewish in the Diaspora. But the alarming rise of antisemitism in Greater Toronto is challenging this core foundation of our strength—and it’s clear we aren’t returning to a pre-October 7th reality.

 

This is why elevating our community’s security is UJA’s highest priority. In the weeks and months after October 7th, we began an intensive process of mapping out a strategy to permanently transform our community’s approach to security. Central to this is the creation of an experienced, highly skilled, professional agency dedicated to the security needs of our community. This approach is based on successful models from other Diaspora Jewish communities that are well advanced in taking ownership of their security, such as in Australia, the U.K., South Africa, and France. With students throughout our community returning to school this week, we have reached a critical new phase of this important work.

 

Today, we are announcing the launch of the Jewish Security Network (JSN), an independent, best-in-class agency dedicated to this challenge. The JSN’s mandate is to strengthen security at Jewish institutions—including day schools, JCCs, synagogues, camps, and Jewish agencies—and manage threats impacting the broader Jewish community, all in partnership with police.

 

To lead the JSN, we are pleased to share that Jevon Greenblatt will serve as executive director, bringing more than 30 years of experience in community security. For the past 12 years, Jevon has led the Community Security Organization in Johannesburg, South Africa, which aligns with the model we are developing here in Greater Toronto. Jevon will lead a substantial team of security professionals with a range of operational, training, and threat assessment expertise. This includes UJA’s dedicated security professionals, who are joining the JSN team as the new agency assumes leadership of all responsibilities previously held by UJA Community Security.

 

The JSN’s strategy is dedicated to addressing four critical needs:
  1. Centralized command-and-control. The JSN has already begun to test various technologies that will connect the CCTV cameras, alarms, panic buttons, and other relevant systems of Jewish institutions to its security operations centre, allowing for community-wide monitoring and co-ordination with police. The JSN is now also operating the 24/7 reporting hotline (416-635-5600), enabling community members to rapidly notify the security operations centre about concerning incidents. This is not an emergency response number, so please always call police first. When safe, your second call should be to the hotline so the JSN can co-ordinate with law enforcement and Jewish institutions.
  2. Volunteer empowerment and training. Police have an essential role to play in keeping us safe. Just as UJA has always operated in close partnership with police, the JSN will continue to liaise and co-ordinate with law enforcement. But the experience throughout the Diaspora proves a crucial point: building a resilient community can only happen if we empower community members to be involved.

    The JSN will be transforming our efforts to recruit and train volunteers to take greater responsibility for the security of their loved ones and community. As in other Jewish communities, volunteers won’t replace the role of police and hired security guards, but rather will be given the skills to serve as an added layer of awareness, preparedness, and prevention. We are pleased to share that the JSN has already launched a new program to train day school parents to volunteer at their children’s schools. If you are interested in this program or other JSN volunteer opportunities, please click here to be in touch.
  3. Security infrastructure at Jewish institutions. Over the past month, the JSN’s immediate priority has been supporting the preparedness of Jewish day schools for the new school year, as well as synagogues in the lead up to the High Holidays. This is just the first step in a comprehensive effort to transform the physical security infrastructure of Jewish institutions across Greater Toronto over the coming years.

    The JSN will be inviting organizations to participate and adopt the agency’s community-wide standards of preparedness. In turn, institutions will be eligible for UJA funding for needed upgrades to their security infrastructure and technology, such as physical barriers, cameras, locks, and reinforced gates, doors, and windows, as well as remote access controls. While safety will be the overriding priority, the JSN’s deep knowledge of Jewish life will ensure our institutions remain the warm and inviting environments that have been the hallmark of our community.
  4. Monitoring our risk environment. Legally gathering open source information and sharing it with security partners is critical to identifying and disrupting potential threats. These crucial relationships include local police, the RCMP, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), as well as security partners in the Jewish world, such as the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the North American-wide Secure Community Network. In the coming months, the JSN will be recruiting a skilled team of analysts to monitor for emerging threats, using data, technology, and expert knowledge to identify vital information that can inform our security operations and be shared with authorities for appropriate action.

As it moves forward, the JSN will also continue to respond to the day-to-day security needs of our community. This includes supporting institutions affected by hate crimes, as well as issuing relevant alerts and situational updates through various communications platforms, including UJA’s email system.

 

All meaningful and lasting change takes time—and transforming our community’s approach to security will be a marathon rather than a sprint. UJA has expedited the funding, operational planning, and hiring required to make this happen. We are driving forward as quickly as possible, with key elements of change prioritized according to the guidance of security experts. Together with the JSN, we are committed to keeping you informed about what we are doing and what you can do.

 

We invite you to join UJA and the JSN for an online community briefing, where we will share further details and answer your questions. Click here to register to join us on Thursday, September 12 at noon.

 

Building a community culture of healthy resilience and empowerment doesn’t only require new resources. It requires each of us to play an active role in making change happen and taking shared ownership of our collective security.

 

We are inviting our entire community to join us in this shared mission. Please connect with us if you would like to support or become involved in the JSN’s work. 

 

For our collective safety, it’s also more important than ever that as many community members as possible receive security alerts and updates. We urge you to forward this email to your friends and family—and encourage them to subscribe here.

 

Just as our community has always risen to the occasion, we have a responsibility today to address this issue head on, together. In so doing, we will help ensure that our children and grandchildren can always thrive here in Greater Toronto—publicly and proudly as Jews.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeffrey Rosenthal

Chair of the Board

Adam Minsky
President & CEO