Over the past year the Jewish have been targets of hate crimes. 2018 had the second highest amount of Anti-Semitic incidents.

In Massachusetts alone, there were fifty-eight cities that recorded at least one Anti-Semitic incident.  Massachusetts had the fourth highest number of incidents per state in the country.

(144)  California had (341),  New York (340) and New Jersey (200).

Many Synagogues are open 24/7, giving all-day access.  In addition, they openly welcome big groups of people, which can trigger crowd-related security issues.

These issues create the need for Synagogues to plan and implement security policies and procedures.

KEY SAFETY ISSUES:

• The Entrances and exits are typically unlocked during worship to accommodate late comers.
• Many Synagogues sponsor after-school daycare, as well as religious education classes on weeknights.
• The community aspect of Synagogues and places of worship imply a welcoming environment. Not a facility that has high security or a lock-out system.

SOLUTIONS:

• Access control systems are an economical way to control access to the building by simply programming who can enter the building and at what time. They can save money in the long run.
• Create a Synagogue security plan. Security plans should be a part of the security policy and should help people behave in a safe manner when issues arise.
• Install video surveillance which is a powerful tool that enables staff to oversee all areas from one place and respond immediately to any incident by giving a command at the central dashboard. Having a recorded video of any incident helps to document what actually occurred.
• Create a security policy for fire, violent entries, domestic disturbances or attacks and shootings.  These must be given special attention. The failure to do so may result in greater harm or damage to people or property.