By Israel Fried
Israel has suffered its worst incursion since the Yom Kippur War, and the second worst mass casualty terrorist event outside of 9/11. We have all been stunned by the horrific images and news continuously coming out of Israel made worse by the intimate and personal nature of these terrorist attacks. We all know someone directly impacted by these barbaric acts and the staggering loss of life.
Innocent men, women, and children taken from their homes and executed or brutally beaten and then brought back to Gaza as hostages. Videos of their murders recorded by terrorists on the victim’s own cell phones and then sent to family members and shared on social media. Children kept in cages. While these atrocities are too much to bear, we cannot look away. We must face evil if we are to defeat it.
We have all seen and been exposed to the gut-wrenching videos floating around on social media of Hamas terrorists filming themselves carrying out these atrocities. Videos undoubtedly made to be used as propaganda and to intimidate, but also demonstrative of their revelry in being able to carry out these cowardly insurgent attacks almost with impunity and, as we are increasingly seeing, even support.
The question that weighs most heavily on everyone’s mind: How did Israel, a country with one of the greatest intelligence agencies and mightiest militaries in the world, suffer such an epic failure? We don’t have the answers today. We may not have them for years to come, but even while in the throes of loss, fear, anger, and rage, we must pause to assess the security we have in place at home, in our own shuls and yeshivot, and determine if it is sufficient to protect our loved ones. Because no matter the reputation, history, precautions, intelligence, or actual might, nothing is foolproof, and no one is untouchable.
We are experiencing an unprecedented level of anti-Semitism, fueled worldwide by social media. Armed guards are a common sight in shuls in major metropolitan areas. Upgraded locks, doors, and camera systems are being installed in our yeshivot and shuls. Active shooter apps can be downloaded onto your phone to send alerts and assist police in responding after a situation has commenced. But is this enough? How can we do more? If the attacks we are still reeling from can happen in Israel what does that mean for Jews here in America and worldwide? And, though we want to believe we have police and are safe and protected—that the security measures we have in place currently are sufficient—are we?
As Israel has shown us this past week, if you are waiting for first responders to come save you, that will take time—time you realistically don’t have in a critical life and death situation. It is a paradox to grieve the loss of loved ones and yet take this past week’s horrible atrocity as an opportunity to learn, even as we still struggle to fight, grieve, and somehow forge a path forward. And yet, if we are to protect our future generations, we must navigate mourning and loss with lessons and growth.
It stands to reason then, as we move forward, we must ask: How do we prepare ourselves, our children, and families to face terroristic threats to their lives and safety? Are we relying exclusively on technology, which can fail or is subject to ongoing monitoring and maintenance? Are we completely dependent on the assistance of others to maintain our safety? Do we have a plan? Is it adequate in light of the current climate and events? Have we spoken with our children and educated them on what to do in a crisis? What if the events that happened in Israel on Simchat Torah happened here tomorrow? Would my congregation be safe? Would my children be safe in school? Would they have a way to protect themselves until help arrived? Most importantly, do we have a plan? Is it adequate in light of the current events and climate? After all, hope is not a plan!
These are challenging questions to ask. They require us to contemplate our own mortality and the mortality of our loved ones. They require us to stare anti-Semitism in the face and acknowledge its very real impact on our lives—figuratively and literally. They force us to grapple with a reality that we don’t want for our children, and to look at and evaluate how we protect them. But the risk of not contemplating them, not acknowledging them, comes with devastating consequences, as we have seen. Every Jewish community must take action to protect themselves and future generations. We are using the pain of this atrocity to propel us forward to create safe places of study and prayer where we can learn and worship without fear. When we take our safety into our own hands and function as our own first responders, we are invariably creating a mindset of survival, not victimhood.
What am I prepared to do to ensure my safety, that of my children and the safety of those around me? Have I taken the appropriate precautions proactively? Have we fortified our yeshivot and shuls, our homes, and ourselves? Do I have a way of communicating with loved ones in an emergency? Do I have a place to safely hide and protect my family until help can arrive? Can I coordinate with family members, neighbors, and community members to provide and receive information?
If you don’t have the answers to these questions, are you now prepared to do something about it?
Now—more than ever—is the time to seek out competent training with an organization that understands the unique security risks our shuls face. Protector Mindset, Stop the Bleed, Mass Casualty Care, Active Shooter Awareness and Response, and full immersive Tactics and Trainings not only forces you to look at the security protocol and procedures in our shuls and yeshivot and assess their viability, but also provides you the tools and skills needed to develop an Emergency Action Plan. Ballistic and forced entry resistant target hardening of yeshivot, shuls, community centers, places of business, and even homes can provide a safe place until first responders arrive and the threat is mitigated. It can save lives. It may save your life.
The federal government allocates funds through the non-profit security grants that each of our shuls and schools have access to obtain every year. These funds are specifically earmarked for products and training that is both preventative and lifesaving. Now is not the time for complacency. Now is the time to educate and prepare yourself and your family. Ask your shuls and schools to provide this training and education. Ask them to earmark financial resources for target hardening of doors and windows. Demand it. Be loud. Be heard. People often avoid making decisions for fear they will make a mistake, when it is the failure to make a decision that is the biggest mistake. Let our fear guide us, not cripple us.
As mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, and as Jews, we cannot and will not let evil prevail.
Im ain achshav, aimatai? Am Yisroel chai.
Israel Fried and David Taller are the founders of Fox2Sierra, a full-service security consulting firm based here on Long Island that employs former members of the IDF and Tier 1 units in the U.S. Military.
