Federation Helps 16 Bay Area Jewish Organizations Receive a Total of $2.5 Million in State Security Grants
San Francisco, CA - The Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund announced that through the support of its Community Security Program, 16 Bay Area Jewish organizations received a total of nearly $2.5 million in grant funding from the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Funding will be used for security improvements, training, and hiring guards.
“I’m so pleased that the State of California came through with increased support to our Bay Area Jewish community,” said Joy Sisisky, the Federation’s Interim CEO and Chief Philanthropy Officer. “Thanks to annual campaign and designated gifts, our Community Security Team provided vulnerability assessments and hired a grant consultant to provide application guidance. As a result, every single organization that we assisted was awarded a grant.”
“Thank you to the Federation’s Director of Community Security, Rafael Brinner, who provided us a free, expert vulnerability assessment which played an important role in our application,” said Rabbi Perry Tirschwell of South Peninsula Hebrew Day School. “We plan to put up an 8-foot-tall iron fence and motorized driving gates, which will connect to our current fences. This grant should cover all of our expenses.”
Bay Area Jewish organizations receiving Federation support:
| Chabad of Fremont | $198,729 | Jewish Community High School of the Bay | $167,571 |
| Chabad of Marin | $190,647 | JFCS San Rafael | $89,072 |
| Chabad of Novato | $199,400 | Kehillah Jewish High School | $94,227 |
| Congregation B'nai Israel, Vallejo | $185,946 | Magain David Sephardim Congregation | $111,498 |
| Congregation B'nai Emunah, SF | $132,445 | North Peninsula Jewish Campus | $57,750 |
| Congregation Beth Shalom, Napa | $126,525 | Oakland Hebrew Day School | $191,809 |
| Congregation Netivot Shalom, Berkeley | $183,459 | South Peninsula Hebrew Day School | $165,000 |
| Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School | $192,717 | Temple Beth Torah, Fremont | $200,000 |
| TOTAL | $2,486,795 | ||
Twenty-five Bay Area Jewish organizations received security funding, totaling over $4.2 million. For a full list of grant allocations for fiscal year 2021, visit the California Governor’s Officer of Emergency Services.
The State of California’s security grant allocation announcements come at an opportune moment, as many Jewish organizations are looking to increase their security. “The anxiety and sense of vulnerability of our community are palpable in response to rising antisemitism. This grant enables us to address those concerns in tangible ways,” said Julie Vlcek-Burke, Director of Development of Jewish Community High School of the Bay, an organization that received support from the Federation.
“We are living in unsafe times, and, the Federation remains committed to providing the resources, guidance, and expertise to keep our Jewish community safe, thanks to the support of our donors,” said Sisisky. “An investment in our annual campaign is an investment in our community’s security.”
About the Community Security Program
The Federation’s Community Security Program, led by Rafael Brinner and Leah Marquis, serves as a centralized hub for the Bay Area Jewish community’s security needs. They provide training, security consultation, site assessments, grant guidance, and incident response, and work directly with law enforcement, Jewish and interfaith organizations to increase the physical and emotional security of their communities.
Upcoming Regional Security Trainings
The Federation’s Community Security Program will be conducting regional security trainings from February 3 to February 22. These 90-minute virtual trainings will provide Bay Area organizations with information on how to maintain situational awareness, bring a security mindset to receiving visitors, and engage a run-hide-fight response when confronted with a worst-case scenario. Bay Area organizational professionals, board members, security committee members, and volunteers are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information and to register, contact the Community Security Team at security@sfjcf.org.
