Community Security Service is monitoring active threat to New Jersey synagogues

Nov. 4, 2022
The FBI field office in Newark has received creditable intelligence concerning possible attacks to Jewish community facilities

New York, NY, November 3, 2022 – The Community Security Service (The CSS), the leading Jewish volunteer security nonprofit organization, issued the following statement:

“The Community Security Service (The CSS) is closely monitoring reports from the FBI field office in Newark of a credible security threat to synagogues in New Jersey.

“The CSS is in direct communication with law enforcement, its considerable volunteer network, the Jewish Federations of New Jersey, our partners at the Secure Community Network (SCN), as well as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) representatives for New York/New Jersey, to raise awareness of this immediate threat and to secure local synagogues.

“'The CSS has over 30 synagogues with volunteer teams throughout New Jersey and has trained over 1,000 volunteers in the community since 2007,’ said Evan R. Bernstein, National Director and CEO of The CSS. ‘We will spare no effort to ensure that Jewish congregants and their security volunteers are safe in their houses of worship. Antisemitism cannot continue to be normalized in America.’

“The CSS will continue to provide updates and will disseminate relevant information as it is made available.”

About The Community Security Service (The CSS):

The CSS is the leading Jewish volunteer security nonprofit organization in the United States. Founded in 2007, The CSS was the first organization to bring to the United States a mindset long held by sister communities around the world, that protecting Jewish life and Jewish way of life starts with taking ownership of our own security. The CSS is focused on training volunteers in basic security procedures to help protect their institutions and events across the country. Through programs developed by foremost industry security experts, and tailored to various levels of interest and ability, volunteers learn to identify suspicious activity and prevent and respond to potential threatening situations. The CSS success also stems from its solid communal partnerships and established relationships with governmental agencies and law enforcement. To date, The CSS has created a national network of over 5000 trained volunteers, which help to protect hundreds of synagogues and events each year. Visit www.thecss.org.