Jewish Federation responds to anti-Semitic graffiti on Northwest Yeshiva High School

After swastikas were painted on Northwest Yeshiva High School's buildings a day before Yom Kippur, Mercer Island Police contacted SAFE Washington. Immediately, Jewish Federation staff and the members of the SAFE Washington core team began working with Mercer Island Police, Northwest Yeshiva High School officials, Washington State's Intelligence Unit, and the Secure Community Network (SCN) to assess the scope of the incident, offer advice and assistance on next steps. Almost immediately, our local Jewish community agency directors and security personnel were notified of the incident and instructed to heighten security at their facility, through our SAFE Washington communications network.

Anytime events like this happen to one community member the impact is ultimately felt by everyone in our Jewish community. The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle takes the safety and security of our community seriously. That is why it spear headed the creation of SAFE Washington – a nationally recognized Jewish community emergency preparedness and safety network. Over the last two years, SAFE Washington has helped improve the safety and security of our community through high level training exercises, national briefings, and the creation of a community-wide communications network. This network is used to alert all 45 participating organizations of imminent threats, dangers and response protocol in real time.

SAFE Washington's work is further supported by the Federation's long-standing partnership with officials at the Department of Homeland Security. These relationships have helped the Seattle Jewish community receive hundreds of thousands of security grants to provide necessary improvements – gates, cameras, lights, etc. – to make sure each of our organizations are as protected as possible in the event of an attack or disaster. This year alone, the local community will receive $308,000 in security grants that will help synagogues and social service agencies further improve the physical security of our community's institutions.

If you would like more information about SAFE Washington log onto www.SAFEWashington.com or contact KimG [at] Jewishinseattle [dot] org (Kim Greenhall). If you are interested in applying for funding to help improve security at your organization contact ZachC [at] JewishInSeattle [dot] org (Zach Carstensen). SAFE Washington is a Mark Bloome Initiative in partnership with Jewish Federation, Temple De Hirsch Sinai, ADL and Setracon.

We are pleased to share with you a special message sent by Rabbi Fox, Northwest Yeshiva's Head of School:

As Yom Kippur approaches, we wish to approach Hashem as a community free of animosities and united by mutual love for one another. Consequently, it is customary to forgive all those who have harmed or wronged us. We forgive those who have expressed remorse for the manner in which they have treated us and even those who have not apologized or demonstrated any regret for the wrongs committed towards us.

I am very willing to forgive a person who comes to me and apologizes for some harm done to me. But I find it remarkably difficult to put aside my anger towards a person who has not acknowledged wronging me or made any effort at reconciliation. How can we be expected to sincerely forgive such a person? I can utter a formalistic declaration of forgiveness but how can I overcome my anger and disappointment?

I have learned that it is possible for me to forgive even a person completely undeserving of pardon. I remind myself that I will soon stand before Hashem and ask Him to forgive me for all the wrongs that I have committed towards Him. I will dedicate myself to try to be a better person. I will commit myself to making specific changes in my life. But also, I realize that in a year when Yom Kippur returns, I will be unchanged in many ways and again seek forgiveness for the same wrongdoings.

I realize that I will ask Hashem to pardon my wrongdoings. Some I hope to correct but many I will probably not succeed in addressing. Many of my faults I have petitioned Hashem to forgive year after year and I have yet to make substantial progress in correcting these flaws. So, I am asking Hashem to judge me with mercy, love and kindness. If I am to make this request of Hashem, then I must be willing to demonstrate the same traits in my own assessment of others. If I cannot pardon those who have harmed or hurt me - even those who are undeserving of forgiveness, then how can I ask Hashem to forgive me for those wrongdoings that I have continued to commit year after year and will probably not completely correct in the immediate future. But if I can forgive all those who have wronged me - even those who are not deserving, then at least when I ask Hashem to pardon me, I do so without hypocrisy.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year,

Rabbi Bernie Fox