Ambassador Lipstadt reminded attendees that this is not normal. As a Jewish community, we have allowed these security measures – out of necessity – to be normalized, when in reality, we should be calling out that nothing about this is normal, nor should it be normalized in the United States, where freedom of religion is an enshrined right.

And yet, once again, we’ve seen the need for such measures to be in place.

In the last two weeks, three synagogues in Toronto have been hit with gunfire. Earlier this week, there was an explosion outside of a synagogue in Belgium that local officials have characterized as an “antisemitic act.” And, yesterday, there was a vehicle ramming and shooting attack at one of the largest synagogues in North America, Temple Israel in suburban Detroit. Thankfully, nobody was killed in any of these attacks. 

This is not normal.

Sadly, we can name far too many attacks on Jewish institutions and synagogues in the last two decades. 

A shooting at the JCC in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2014. 

A shooting at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2018, and one at Chabad of Poway in California in 2019. 

A hostage crisis at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, in 2022, and arson at Beth Israel Congregation in 2025 in Jackson, Mississippi.

The deadly shooting at our Federation office in 2006. 

And, this is just a subset of the list of attacks.

This is not normal.

Like many of you, in the last 24 hours, I felt a mix of emotions: deep concern for the Jewish future, anger about the world we find ourselves in so frequently, and profound gratitude that yesterday’s incident wasn’t worse.

The response in Michigan demonstrates the importance of preparations related to safety and security. The presence of trained security personnel and established protocols helped prevent what could have been a far more tragic outcome. That is something to be grateful for amidst the other emotions. 

Here in Seattle, community security is a top priority for the Federation. For 20 years, the Federation has funded and operated the Jewish communal security program for our state: SAFE Washington. In the last six months, we have significantly expanded our security program to meet this moment, adding a new full-time professional to our team, forming a partnership with the Secure Community Network (SCN), and giving a first round of security grants, totaling $150,000, to help protect our youngest community members at Jewish preschools. 

While, as of now, there are no current credible threats to our community, synagogues, agencies, and community members are encouraged to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement, and through the Federation’s Incident Reporting Form. Our team is in continuous communication with local, state, and federal law enforcement. 

We will continue to strengthen our communal security infrastructure and are available for every Jewish institution in Washington for security advising, consultation, and physical site assessments.

Incidents like yesterday remind us why this work is essential.

And, while I am proud of our efforts in this regard, I say again, this is not normal.

Keeping our Jewish communities safe is expensive. According to the Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish organizations are forced to spend $765 million annually in the U.S. on security; that is 14% of the operating expenses of Jewish organizations. I encourage you to think about what 14% of expenses going to security would mean to your business or workplace – for many businesses, it would mean they could no longer operate profitably. For our Jewish organizations, this is what it takes to be Jewish in America – it is a “tax” on Jewish life that we all share the burden of.

This is why we have prioritized advocating for state funding for non-profit security grants, and why we are doing a special fly-in to Washington, D.C., in May to talk with our elected leaders about the importance of Jewish communal security.

We cannot allow this to be normal.

The world has changed. At times like these, we are reminded that the strength of the Jewish people has always come from community, preparation, and resilience. We remain vigilant. We remain united. And we remain committed to ensuring that Jewish life here in Seattle continues to thrive – safely and proudly.

Shabbat shalom,