Our big news this winter is that Mishkon has been awarded a $184,000 state nonprofit security grant. The timing couldn’t be better. We have applied several times before but were never chosen, and each of those times, the maximum that organizations could apply for was either $100,000 or $150,000. This year, it was $200,000.
Now we are waiting to be told exactly what we may spend our money on. The state provided a small but very specific shopping list from which we could select our security items. However, the state can make changes in what we chose, so we’ll see what they decided.
This grant focuses specifically on what the government calls target hardening. That means making our property and our people physically safer from terrorism. Our property also experiences vandalism from mentally ill people on the streets in Venice, so we are happy that our anti-terrorism purchases will also help protect us from other forms of vandalism.
Another reason the timing of our grant is good is that attacks on synagogues are occurring with increasing frequency around the country and the world. Although Mishkon’s property has experienced attacks of anti-Semitic vandalism, no one at Mishkon has been attacked. We already do a great deal to provide security at Mishkon and have been doing so for a number of years.
We are advised regularly by the company that provides our security guards, by our security technology company, by our insurance company, by the Federation, and by United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism. Our staff participates in training and attends webinars to keep up with changing recommendations and techniques. Congregants are also invited to attend Federation online training and, post-pandemic, in-person training.
If you’ve attended services on Shabbat morning, you know that our security guard checks your bags and chats with you as you approach. He is not just being friendly. He’s evaluating each person and keeping me informed about anything or anyone questionable. He’s also noticing everything and everyone nearby on Main Street. Our security company is Israeli, and most of our guards were in the Israeli military.
We look forward to watching our grant money turn into improvements at Mishkon. You’ll all be welcome to ooohhh and aaahhh as the work proceeds. And we’ll keep you informed every step of the way. You know how construction areas always have signs apologizing for the dust? Well, our sign will say WE ARE DELIGHTED TO BE DUSTY!
