Ahead of High Holidays, US Jewish leaders stress need for security vigilance as antisemitism surges

Published

2 years ago

September 15, 2023

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(AP) — Ahead of the High Holidays that begin this week, a network of Jewish security experts and religious leaders hosted several webinars to help prepare for the season. Among the topics: How to respond to an “active threat” targeting the Jewish community, and how to stop severe bleeding.

The holidays, encompassing Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, are meant to be a period of joy and reflection. Over recent years — in the face of increased antisemitic threats and violence — the season also is a time of heightened vigilance.

“The High Holidays are about renewal — about trying to build a better world,” said Rabbi Noah Farkas, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. “But we can’t do that without a security regimen that makes people comfortable to go to synagogue.”

Farkas his community was jolted in late July when federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested a man from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Reseda who allegedly was affiliated with a violent white supremacist group and had been advocating antisemitic violence.

According to the regional U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ryan Scott Bradford “posted online messages and photographs documenting his use of a 3-D printer to manufacture firearms, as well as calling for the mass murder of Jews.”

Officers searching his home found Nazi propaganda, 116 rounds of ammunition, and devices designed to help create automatic firearms.

“The potential danger to the community cannot be overstated.” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.

Farkas’ federation, and its counterparts around the U.S., have taken numerous steps to enhance safety, notably through professionally led community security initiatives that offer advice, training and other security resources to Jewish schools, synagogues and organizations.

Experts with the Los Angeles CSI provided suspicious-activity reports to law enforcement in 2022 and early 2023 that helped lay the groundwork for the recent arrest in Reseda.

Security measures have been expanding at Jewish institutions across the U.S. for more than a decade, but efforts intensified after a gunman killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 2018. It was the deadliest act of antisemitic violence in U.S. history; the gunman, Robert Bowers, was sentenced to death in early August at the close of a lengthy, wrenching trial.

One of the biggest security initiatives since the massacre was launched in 2021 by the Jewish Federations of North America — a $130 million campaign seeking to ensure that every Jewish community in the U.S. and Canada has access to state-of-the-art communal security programs. As of last month, 103 Jewish federations in the two countries had programs based on standards set by the Secure Community Network; the requirements include community-wide trainings and intelligence-sharing with law enforcement.

The SCN was the organizer of the recent series of nine webinars – including those on severe bleeding and “active threats” — offered ahead of this year’s High Holidays.

Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, said he — like many Jews — wishes Rosh Hashana could be savored joyfully, without the need for security preparations and the worries about antisemitic threats.

“But we quickly move to the recognition that you can’t have those joyful things unless you feel safe and secure,” he said.

“People have come to accept it, but I don’t know if we’ve fully internalized what the long-term costs will be,” he added. “It’s not going to go away, like a hurricane or tornado. This is going to be a permanent, ongoing feature as long as we can see into the future.”

Nationwide, the security initiatives have been bolstered by constant expansion and broader collaboration.

Earlier this month, the Orthodox Union, the largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, announced a partnership with the Community Security Service, a leading Jewish security organization, to encourage more Orthodox congregation members to volunteer for security training.

Last month, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Anti-Defamation League of Los Angeles announced a new joint effort to prevent and combat antisemitic incidents in Southern California.

“When you combine resources, you can connect the dots between what might appear to be unrelated incidents of antisemitism and paint a clearer picture of the challenges we face,” said Jeffrey Abrams, regional director of ADL Los Angeles.

The new head of the Greater Los Angeles federation’s Community Security Initiative is Larry Mead, a 36-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department who specialized in intelligence gathering targeting gangs and organized crime. Since his hiring in early August, Mead says it’s “been an eye-opener” to learn the extent and vehemence of antisemitic threats.

Mead said synagogues in California were among several dozen nationwide recently targeted by fake bomb threats and antisemitic swatting incidents that disrupted services and rattled worshippers.

“The people doing this — they want to frustrate the Jewish community,” Mead said. “We can’t let them win.”

Farkas said the intelligence reports he gets from Mead “make me sad.”

“Here we are going into High Holidays,” Farkas said. “Why has it got to be that Jewish people, in order to celebrate the most sacred days of the year, have to check in with the police?”

“I worry that something bad is going to happen, because it feels almost inevitable,” he added. “That’s a tough place to be emotionally.”

Even as the threats and attacks persist, there have been documented instances demonstrating the value of new security measures.

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, one of the rabbis conducting services when Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue was attacked, had never carried a cellphone on Shabbat prior to receiving active-shooter training. He had his phone with him during the attack, and was able to call 911.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, one of three people held hostage for 10 hours at his Colleyville, Texas synagogue in 2022, credited their escape to security training he had received over the years.

“Without the instruction we received, we would not have been prepared to act and flee when the situation presented itself,” the rabbi said.

In November, when the FBI said it had received credible information about a “broad” threat to synagogues in New Jersey, Jewish leaders in part of the state were able to get real-time updates via text message thanks to a new emergency broadcast system established by the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey.

One of the duties for that federation’s director of community security, Tim Torell, is providing PowerPoint presentations on the active-shooter response strategy known as “Run, Hide, Fight.”

“The Jewish community does not want to do this — it wants to go worship and not have to worry about an active shooter,” Torell said. “But there is a need to do it.”

He recounted a recent training session where most of the participants were in their 70s, including a woman who came up to him at the end, tears in her eyes.

“She said, ’We’re grateful, but I can’t believe the world is coming to this. I can’t believe we have to do this in my synagogue,’” Torell recalled.

“She got to me,” he added. “I’m standing there, trying not to lose it.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Share Tweet

Politics

Surprise good news as government borrowing less than forecast

Published

42 mins ago

August 21, 2025

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Surprise good news as government borrowing less than forecast

The government borrowed the least amount of money in three years last month, official figures showed, in a surprise bout of good news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Not since July 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, was state borrowing so low, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Increases in tax and national insurance receipts meant public sector net borrowing was £1.1bn in July, meaning there was a £1.1bn gap between government spending and income.

Money latest: Top chef raves about supermarket sandwich and reveals customer behaviour he can’t stand

That borrowing is less than half the figure (£2.6bn) expected by economists polled by the Reuters news agency, as self-assessed income tax was £600m higher than expected.

But borrowing was still £6bn higher in the first four months of the financial year, which started in April, than the same period in 2024.

Despite a £2.3bn drop in monthly borrowing when July 2025 is compared with July 2024, the state still spent more on the cost of that lending.

The amount of interest paid on government debt was £7.1bn, £200m more than a year earlier.

The cost of government borrowing has increased in recent months as the interest rate investors demand on loans issued to the UK (bonds) rose.

At the start of the week, the government’s long-term borrowing cost, as measured by the interest rate on 30-year bonds (known as the gilt yield), closed at the highest level since 1998.

What does it mean for the chancellor?

The monthly borrowing data is in line with the predictions made by independent forecasters, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

It may not be as rosy a picture, however, as research firm Capital Economics point out the cumulative budget deficit, rather than a monthly figure, is £5.7bn above the OBR’s forecast.

This matters for the chancellor’s self-imposed fiscal rules, to bring down government debt and balance the budget by 2030, the firm said.

“The chancellor will probably need to raise taxes by £17bn to £27bn at the budget later this year,” Capital Economics’ UK economist Alex Kerr said.

Elevated self-assessment income tax receipts “may just reflect the timing of tax returns being recorded, and receipts in August may be weaker than expected”, he added.

Responding to the figures, Ms Reeves’s deputy, chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, said: “Far too much taxpayer money is spent on interest payments for the longstanding national debt.

“That’s why we’re driving down government borrowing over the course of the parliament – so working people don’t have to foot the bill and we can invest in better schools, hospitals, and services for working families.”

Environment

CNBC Daily Open: Tech sell-off? Investors could just be taking profit and enjoying the summer

Published

3 hours ago

August 21, 2025

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CNBC Daily Open: Tech sell-off? Investors could just be taking profit and enjoying the summer

A Palantir sign at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on May 22, 2022.

Fabrice Coffrini | Afp | Getty Images

If you have any U.S. technology stocks in your portfolio (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?), you might want to look away.

For the second day in a row, tech stocks dragged markets lower, with the Nasdaq Composite slipping 0.67%. Juggernauts such as Apple, Amazon and Alphabet were more meh-nificent than magnificent, falling more than 1%.

Palantir — the standout S&P 500 stock, having more than doubled so far this year — had its sixth consecutive day in the red and lost its place among a ranking of the 20 most valuable U.S. companies.

While Palantir’s slide was partly triggered by a report from short seller Andrew Left’s Citron Research, which called the company “detached from fundamentals and analysis,” there was no single trigger for the broader pullback.

Investors could have been spooked by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s caution about an AI bubble forming, although some analysts dispute that assertion. “In our view the tech bull cycle will be well intact at least for another 2-3 years,” said Wall Street tech bull Dan Ives.

Or it could be something benign, like traders locking in profits. “Tech stocks,” said Carol Schleif, chief market strategist at BMO Private Wealth, “have had an incredibly strong run – with some up over 80% since the early April lows.”

Summer, after all, is far from over. Some investors might have just wanted to cash out for another round of margaritas.

What you need to know today

And finally…

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a press conference at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on Aug. 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

Red carpet for Putin, trade relief for China, penalties on India: Inside Trump’s peculiar policy playbook

U.S. President Donald Trump is pursuing an unusual strategy — courting Russian President Vladimir Putin, holding fire on Beijing, all the while turning the screws on India.

Despite India being one of the earliest nations to engage in negotiations with the Trump administration, there is still no sign of it sealing a deal with America. New Delhi is now also staring at a secondary tariff of 25% or a “penalty” for its purchases of Russian oil that is set to come into effect later this month.

— Anniek Bao

US

How Trump’s Republicans are literally redrawing maps to help stay in power

Published

4 hours ago

August 21, 2025

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How Trump's Republicans are literally redrawing maps to help stay in power

Legislators in Texas have approved new congressional maps designed to boost Donald Trump’s Republicans at next year’s midterm elections.

Known as redistricting, the state’s re-drawn map would shift conservative voters into districts currently held by Democrats, and combine other districts with a Democratic majority into one.

The process is not new, and is completely legal – unless it is ruled to be racially motivated – but typically occurs every 10 years after the US Census to account for population changes.

The push to redistrict early came from Mr Trump himself, who wants to bolster his chances of preserving the slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives at next year’s crucial midterms.

But by trying to re-draw the maps in the red state of Texas, Democrats have lined up their own counter redistricting effort in the blue state of California.

If more states decide to re-consider their maps, it has the potential to largely determine the outcome of the 2026 midterms, before a single vote is cast.

What’s happening in Texas?

Mr Trump first said he wanted politicians in Texas to redraw the state’s congressional district in July. The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, followed up on the president’s demands, calling for a special session to vote on new maps.

“Please pass this map ASAP,” Mr Trump urged on his Truth Social platform on Monday. “Thank you, Texas!”

In an effort to try to make passing the vote as difficult as possible, Democrats fled the state for two weeks. Per parliamentary rules, if enough Democrats refuse to take part in the special session, the Texas House can’t meet.

On their return, each Democratic politician was assigned a police escort to ensure they attended the session.

Nicole Collier, who refused the police escort, stayed in the House for two nights, and was pictured with an eye mask and blanket trying to sleep at her desk.

Once the debate started, the doors to the chamber were locked and all members wanting to leave had to get a permission slip to do so.

After nearly eight hours, the legislation to formally change the map was passed 88-52 on Wednesday.

It now needs to be approved by the Texas Senate, where Republicans hold a majority, and then signed off by Mr Abbott, who has already committed to doing just that.

Why re-draw maps?

Republicans in Texas have openly said the rally to re-draw congressional maps is in the party’s interest.

Todd Hunter, the Republican who wrote the legislation formally creating the new map, told the House: “The underlying goal of this plan is straight forward: improve Republican political performance.”

He said the dispute is nothing more than a partisan fight, and made reference to the US Supreme Court having previously allowed politicians to redraw districts for partisan purposes.

Democrats hit back, arguing the disagreement was about more than partisanship.

“In a democracy, people choose their representatives,” representative Chris Turner said. “This bill flips that on its head and lets politicians in Washington, DC, choose their voters.”

Another Democrat, John H Bucy, blamed the president, saying: “This is Donald Trump’s map.

“It clearly and deliberately manufactures five more Republican seats in Congress because Trump himself knows that the voters are rejecting his agenda.”

How have Democrats responded?

The move by Republicans has triggered a tit-for-tat move by the Democrats, who are due to meet in California on Thursday to revise the state’s maps in order to gain five more seats.

To enact the same powers in California will prove harder, as state laws require an independent commission to take responsibility for redistricting – meaning it would need to be approved by voters in a special election.

In other blue states, rules are even tighter. For example, in New York, they cannot draw new maps until 2028, and even then, only with voter approval.

Despite the obstacles, California governor Gavin Newsom confirmed a redistricting election will take place in the state on 4 November, in order to “fight fire with fire”.

His plan has gained support from former president Barack Obama, who said it was necessary to “stave off” the Republicans’ move in Texas.

Could this affect the midterms?

The midterms in November next year will likely be on a knife edge.

Whatever the outcome, it could shape the remainder of Mr Trump’s second term in office. A Democrat majority would make it tougher for him to pass laws.

Currently, Republicans control the House of Representatives in Washington, 219-212 (excluding four open vacancies). A party needs 218 seats for a majority.

In the Senate, the Republicans hold a similarly slim majority of 53 to 45.

However, the incumbent president’s party typically loses seats in the midterms.

In the 2018 midterms, during Mr Trump’s first tenure as president, the Democrats took control of the House. Likewise, in 2022, when Joe Biden was president, the House swung back to the Republicans.

It’s important to note that 27 House seats will remain in states that are unlikely to redraw their maps, according to The New York Times.

In a bid to avoid a repeat of history, Mr Trump is pushing for redistricting in states beyond Texas. Top Republicans in states like Indiana, Missouri, and Florida continue to talk about tweaking their maps to create more Republican-controlled congressional seats.

While Ohio has to legally redraw, the timing of which could benefit the Republicans, and, by extension, Mr Trump.