While the congregants of Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, watched and listened to the livestream of the Shabbat service during which an armed man held hostage four individuals, including Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, and the rest of the country and even the world watched and listened to the news, Jewish Federation was receiving its own information and taking action locally.
Community Security Director Chuck Green and the senior professional leadership of Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City were kept updated on Saturday via Secure Community Network (SCN) situation reports and briefings, as well as through other sources. SCN is the security and safety initiative of the organized Jewish community in North America, created under the auspices of the Jewish Federations of North America. The FBI thanked and acknowledged Secure Community Network at its press briefing after the conclusion of the Colleyville situation, pledging to continue to work with SCN throughout the country for the safety of Jewish communities.
In Kansas City, Green was in communication with local congregational leadership Saturday despite there being no specific threats of any kind locally. Local congregations have received the same kind of training cited by Rabbi Cytron-Walker as providing him with the courage to do what was necessary to escape.
“Ongoing training is one of the most important things we can offer in today’s complex environment,” Green says. “An educated community is aware and prepared to deal with a variety of challenging situations.”
Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut said on Saturday, “It is for moments like this that local Federations across the country are building and strengthening community security initiatives.”
Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City established its community security initiative in the aftermath of the April 13, 2014 shootings at the Jewish Community Campus and Village Shalom that killed three people. Green, a former Secret Service agent, was hired as community security director in early 2017, to help develop and implement a comprehensive, long-term community security plan.
“One of Chuck’s many strengths is consulting with our local congregations and Jewish organizations around security — both at their facilities and around off-site events,” says Dr. Helene Lotman, president and CEO of Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City. “Under Chuck’s leadership, we have a comprehensive, communitywide security program built upon best practices, including leveraging training, technology and ongoing review of operational practices.”
Lotman went on to share that Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City has quietly raised millions of dollars to ensure a strong program both now and into the future. Federation began fundraising in 2020 to cover the costs of the next 10 years of community security; Lotman says this campaign is now in its final stretch, and expects in this first quarter of 2022 to raise the remainder needed to cover costs through 2030.
“We are grateful for the considerable generosity of individuals, families, fellow funders and Jewish organizational and congregational partners,” Lotman says. “It takes this kind of collaboration to ensure the ongoing safety and security of our community. We are all responsible for one another.”
Lotman also expressed gratitude on behalf of the Kansas City community for the leadership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Secure Community Network and various law enforcement partners for the safe ending to the crisis situation in Colleyville.
