(JNS) Jewish Federations of North America sent a letter to members of Congress expressing support in favor of the bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
The June 23 letter was signed by 189 national and local organizations, including 80 Jewish federations, network communities and Jewish Community Relations Councils, representing 42 states and the District of Columbia.
“As a Jewish community, we are no strangers to trauma caused by mass shootings, and necessarily prioritize Jewish communal security and work to advance measures to secure Jewish and other faith-based institutions,” said the letter. “We recall the murders at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle in 2006; the Jewish Community Center and retirement community in Overland Park, Kan., in 2014; the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018; the Chabad in Poway, Calif., in 2019; and so many other similar incidents.”
The signees expressed their support for the bipartisan act that offers a multifaceted approach to curbing gun violence and protecting schools, as well as expanded resources to address the nation’s mental-health crisis.
The letter commends Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), as well as their colleagues, for their leadership in crafting this bipartisan package.
“In recent years, the Jewish community has witnessed a frightening increase of acts of violence that have targeted the very institutions that are meant to provide comfort and security,” said senior vice president of public affairs at JFNA Elana Broitman. “This letter voices the Jewish community’s commitment to advancing measures to build flourishing communities that live in freedom and security.”
