[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
THE NONPROFIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM
AND PROTECTING HOUSES OF WORSHIP: A
VIEW FROM THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMU-
NITY
=======================================================================
JOINT HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS,
RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY
AND THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERTERRORISM
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
FEBRUARY 8, 2022
__________
Serial No. 117-43
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov/
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
47-469 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi, Chairman
Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas John Katko, New York
James R. Langevin, Rhode Island Michael T. McCaul, Texas
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey Clay Higgins, Louisiana
J. Luis Correa, California Michael Guest, Mississippi
Elissa Slotkin, Michigan Dan Bishop, North Carolina
Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Al Green, Texas Ralph Norman, South Carolina
Yvette D. Clarke, New York Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa
Eric Swalwell, California Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee
Dina Titus, Nevada Andrew S. Clyde, Georgia
Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey Carlos A. Gimenez, Florida
Kathleen M. Rice, New York Jake LaTurner, Kansas
Val Butler Demings, Florida Peter Meijer, Michigan
Nanette Diaz Barragan, California Kat Cammack, Florida
Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey August Pfluger, Texas
Elaine G. Luria, Virginia Andrew R. Garbarino, New York
Tom Malinowski, New Jersey
Ritchie Torres, New York
Hope Goins, Staff Director
Daniel Kroese, Minority Staff Director
Natalie Nixon, Clerk
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY
Val Butler Demings, Florida, Chairwoman
Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Kat Cammack, Florida, Ranking
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey Member
Al Green, Texas Clay Higgins, Louisiana
Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa
Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi (ex Andrew R. Garbarino, New York
officio) John Katko, New York (ex officio)
Lauren McClain, Subcommittee Staff Director
Diana Bergwin, Minority Subcommittee Staff Director
Aaron Greene, Subcommittee Clerk
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTERTERRORISM
Elissa Slotkin, Michigan, Chairwoman
Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas August Pfluger, Texas, Ranking
James R. Langevin, Rhode Island Member
Eric Swalwell, California Michael Guest, Mississippi
Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Tom Malinowski, New Jersey Jake LaTurner, Kansas
Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi (ex Peter Meijer, Michigan
officio) John Katko, New York (ex officio)
Brittany Carr, Subcommittee Staff Director
Adrienne Spero, Minority Subcommittee Staff Director
Joy Zieh, Subcommittee Clerk
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Statements
The Honorable Val Butler Demings, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Florida, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery:
Oral Statement................................................. 1
Prepared Statement............................................. 2
The Honorable Kat Cammack, a Representative in Congress From the
State of Florida, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Emergency
Preparedness, Response, and Recovery:
Oral Statement................................................. 3
Prepared Statement............................................. 5
The Honorable Elissa Slotkin, a Representative in Congress From
the State of Michigan, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on
Intelligence and Counterterrorism:
Oral Statement................................................. 6
Prepared Statement............................................. 10
The Honorable August Pfluger, a Representative in Congress From
the State of Texas, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on
Intelligence and Counterterrorism:
Oral Statement................................................. 11
Prepared Statement............................................. 12
The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Mississippi, and Chairman, Committee on
Homeland Security:
Oral Statement................................................. 13
Prepared Statement............................................. 14
The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Texas:
Prepared Statement............................................. 15
Witnesses
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, Rabbi, Congregation Beth Israel:
Oral Statement................................................. 19
Prepared Statement............................................. 21
Rabbi Yosef Konikov, Rabbi, Chabad of South Orlando:
Oral Statement................................................. 24
Prepared Statement............................................. 27
Hon. Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO, The Jewish Federations of
North America and Former Member of Congress:
Oral Statement................................................. 30
Prepared Statement............................................. 33
Mr. Michael Masters, National Director and CEO, Secure Community
Network:
Oral Statement................................................. 36
Prepared Statement............................................. 39
For the Record
The Honorable Val Butler Demings, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Florida, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery:
Flyer.......................................................... 30
Statement of Johnathan Greenblatt, CEO & National Director,
Anti-Defamation League....................................... 64
The Honorable Elissa Slotkin, a Representative in Congress From
the State of Michigan, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on
Intelligence and Counterterrorism:
National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin.................... 7
Appendix
The Honorable Val Butler Demings, a Representative in Congress
From the State of Florida, and Chairwoman, Subcommittee on
Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery:
Letter From Yeshiva University................................. 69
THE NONPROFIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM AND PROTECTING HOUSES OF WORSHIP:
A VIEW FROM THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY
----------
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Homeland Security,
Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and
Recovery, and the
Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., via
Webex, Hon. Val Butler Demings [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee
on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery] presiding.
Present from the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness,
Response, and Recovery: Representatives Demings, Cammack,
Jackson Lee, Payne, Green, Watson Coleman, Higgins, and Miller-
Meeks.
Present from the Subcommittee on Intelligence and
Counterterrorism: Representatives Slotkin, Pfluger, Jackson
Lee, Langevin, Gottheimer, Malinowski, Guest, and Rice.
Also present: Representatives Thompson and Katko.
Chairwoman Demings. The Subcommittees on Emergency
Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, and Intelligence and
Counterterrorism will come to order. Without objection, the
Chair is authorized to declare the subcommittees in recess at
any point.
Good morning again, everyone. I want to thank Chairwoman
Slotkin and Ranking Member Pfluger for joining Ranking Member
Cammack and me for this important hearing.
Thank you to our witnesses for joining us today to discuss
who the dynamic terrorism threat landscape impacts the American
Jewish community and the importance of Federal support to make
their communities more safe.
As someone who spent nearly 3 decades in law enforcement, I
was extremely troubled to see neo-Nazis shouting anti-Semitic
slurs while parading through the streets of Central Florida. I
am relieved that the individuals who viciously attacked a
Jewish student have been charged with hate crime assault and
grand theft. For one of the group's leaders this is the second
time he has been charged with committing violent acts against
innocent bystanders this year. These hateful and violent acts
followed several incidents in which anti-Semitic flyers were
left outside homes across Central Florida.
We are joined today by Rabbi Konikov from Chabad of South
Orlando, who I have been honored to join for many occasions,
including joyful celebrations with his congregation. I
appreciate, Rabbi, your leadership during these difficult
events in our community and stand with you in rejecting anti-
Semitic attacks on our neighbors, our friends, and in our
communities.
All of this comes at a time when, as we learned at last
week's hearing, we are seeing fringe extremist ideologies being
mainstreamed and violent ideologies from across the spectrum
embrace anti-Semitism. Let me be clear, anti-Semitism and
targeted violence against religious institutions have no place
in the United States of America.
Today, 20 years after 9/11, the terrorism threat landscape
is far more complex with nonprofits such as religious
institutions increasingly targeted by domestic and foreign
terrorists. Last month, the Nation collectively held its breath
as congregants at Sabbath service in a Texas synagogue were
held at gunpoint by a terrorist.
I commend the heroic actions of Rabbi Cytron-Walker, one of
our witnesses here today, who grabbed a chair, hurled it at the
gunman. In other words, Rabbi Charlie took matters into his own
hands, allowing congregants to escape. During the Colleyville
attack, Rabbi Charlie credited his quick actions to security
training, funded, in part, by the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program. Under this program at-risk religious institutions and
other nonprofits receive support to implement protective
measures. These grants are critically important for religious
institutions and they keep communities safe, which is more
important now than ever.
As the terrorism landscape has grown more complex and
houses of worship are increasingly being targeted, the demand
for this program has risen exponentially. To meet this demand,
Congress has increased funding for Nonprofit Security Grant
Program. Even with the recent increases, we still see a growing
need for organizations to access this funding. With the risk of
attacks against faith-based communities, we must continue to
invest in their security.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have consistently
advocated for increased funding for this critical program. I
was pleased to support a $100 million increase in the Build
Back Better Act last year and last week, joined my colleagues
in calling for additional appropriations for the program for
next year.
We have a great panel today. I look forward to hearing from
our witnesses about the challenges the American Jewish
community faces and how Congress can do a better job to protect
them.
[The statement of Chairwoman Demings follows:]
Statement of Chairwoman Val Demings
February 8, 2022
Thank you to our witnesses for joining us today to discuss the how
the dynamic terrorism threat landscape impacts the American Jewish
community and the importance of Federal support to make their
communities more secure.
As someone who spent nearly 3 decades in law enforcement, I was
extremely troubled to see Neo-Nazis shouting anti-Semitic slurs while
parading through the streets of Orlando in recent days. I am relieved
that the individuals who viciously attacked a Jewish student have been
charged with hate crime assault and grand theft. For one of the group's
leaders, this is the second time he has been charged with committing
violent acts against innocent bystanders this year. These hateful and
violent acts followed several incidents in which anti-Semitic flyers
were left outside homes across South Florida.
We are joined today by Rabbi Yosef Konikov from Chabad of South
Orlando, who I have been honored to join for joyful celebrations with
his congregation. I appreciate your leadership during these difficult
events in our community and stand with you in rejecting anti-Semitic
attacks on our neighbors, friends, and families.
All of this comes at a time when, as we learned at last week's
hearing, we are seeing ``fringe'' extremist ideologies being
mainstreamed and violent ideologies from across the spectrum embrace
anti-Semitism. Let me be clear--anti-Semitism and targeted violence
against religious institutions have no place in the United States of
America.
Today, 20 years after 9/11, the terrorism threat landscape is far
more complex with nonprofits such as religious institutions
increasingly targeted by domestic and foreign terrorists. Last month,
the Nation collectively ``held its breath'' as congregants at Sabbath
service in a Texas synagogue were held at gunpoint by a terrorist.
I commend the heroic actions of Rabbi Cytron-Walker, one of our
witnesses here today, who grabbed a chair and heaved it at the gunman,
allowing the congregants to escape. During the Colleyville attack,
Rabbi Cytron-Walker credited his quick actions security to security
training that funded, in part, by the Nonprofit Security Grant Program
or NSGP. Under this program at-risk religious institutions and other
non-profits receive support to implement protective measures. These
grants are critically important for religious institutions, and they
keep communities safe, which is more important now than ever.
As the terrorism landscape has grown more complex and houses of
worship are increasingly being targeted, the demand for this program
has risen exponentially. To meet this demand, Congress has increased
funding for Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Even with the recent
increases, we still see a growing need for organizations to access this
funding. With the rise of attacks against faith-based communities, we
must continue to invest in their security.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have consistently advocated for
increased funding for this critical program. I was pleased to support a
$100 million increase in the ``Build Back Better Act'' last year and,
last week, joined my colleagues in calling for additional
appropriations for the program for next year.
We have a great panel today. I look forward to hearing from our
witnesses today about the challenges the American Jewish community
faces and what Congress can do to aid them.
Chairwoman Demings. I am not sure if the Ranking Member
from my committee has joined us. Mrs. Cammack, are you----
Mrs. Cammack. Yes, I am.
Chairwoman Demings. It is now my pleasure to introduce the
Ranking Member of the Emergency Preparedness, Recovery, and
Response Subcommittee, the gentlewoman from my home State of
Florida, Mrs. Cammack, for an opening statement.
Mrs. Cammack. Well, thank you, Chairwoman Demings. Thank
you to all my colleagues and our witnesses for being here
today.
Now, before I begin, I would first like to take a moment to
recognize Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, whose quick thinking and
use of his security training helped save lives. Without a
doubt, you absolutely saved lives. I sincerely appreciate you
taking the time to share your experiences here today with us.
I would also like to recognize the dedicated Federal,
State, and local law enforcement officers who answered the call
that day. Our first responders put their lives on the line
every single day and we thank them for helping keep our
communities safe.
Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman Slotkin, Ranking Member
Pfluger, I would like to thank you all for convening this
hearing today to discuss FEMA's Nonprofit Security Program and
the critical role that this program plans in protecting our
houses of worship.
The event that took place at the Congregation Beth Israel
Synagogue is, unfortunately, just the latest in a string of
anti-Semitic attacks that have plagued Jewish communities both
at home and abroad in recent years. In 2017, a retired French
doctor was killed in her Paris apartment by an attacker
motivated by anti-Semitism. The following year, much closer to
home, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs opened fire inside the
Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing 11.
In December 2019, a Jewish kosher deli was attacked in Jersey
City, New Jersey, leaving 4 victims dead.
While faith-based communities across the country face
varying levels of discrimination, the American Jewish community
continues to face a persistent threat of violence. This is a
threat that has been shown to come from a variety of
ideological motivations. According to the FBI's hate crime
statistics, in 2020, there were 1,174 victims who were targeted
due to their religion. Of those victims, the Jewish community
accounted for a staggering 54.9 percent of all religious-bias
crime. Nearly 55 percent, that is a staggering number and
unacceptable.
These reported anti-Semitic incidents occurred at Jewish
institutions, such as synagogues, Jewish community centers, and
Jewish schools. The reported incidents included harassment,
vandalism, and assault.
While the continued prevalence of these attacks can
sometimes seem overwhelming, as Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker
showed us, the proper use of security training and resources
can absolutely help save lives. One of the most important
resources available to houses of worship is FEMA's Nonprofit
Security Grant Program. This competitive grant program provides
funding to support the target-hardening and other security-
related activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high
risk for a terrorist attack. Specifically, the program seeks to
integrate the preparedness activities of nonprofit
organizations with the broader State, local, Tribal, and
territorial preparedness efforts.
The vital nature of this program is highlighted by the fact
that in fiscal year 2021, more than 3,300 nonprofit
organizations submitted applications to this program. Almost 40
percent of the nonprofits that applied had never received this
funding. However, due to the wide-spread demand for this
program, less than half of the nonprofits that applied ended up
receiving funding.
As the lead Republican on the House Homeland Security
Committee, Subcommittee for Emergency Preparedness, Response,
and Recovery, I remain committed, along with Chairwoman
Demings, to strengthen our Nation's overall emergency
preparedness by supporting programs like the Nonprofit Security
Grant Program.
I also remain committed to working in a bipartisan manner
to stop and combat anti-Semitism and violence across all
religious groups. Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of our
Constitution, and any violation of this freedom should not be
tolerated. For this reason, I cosponsored a bipartisan
resolution condemning the recent anti-Semitic terrorist act on
the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue.
In closing, I am incredibly proud to represent Florida's
Third Congressional District, which has an incredible, vibrant
faith community. In fact, my district includes the University
of Florida, the Gator Nation, which is home to the largest
Jewish student organization in the country, Gators for Israel.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the importance
of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and the ways in which
they have used this grant program to protect their faith
communities and any recommendations that they have to improve
this program moving forward.
With that, I thank you, Chairwoman Demings, and I yield
back.
[The statement of Ranking Member Cammack follows:]
Statement of Ranking Member Kat Cammack
Before I begin, I would first like to take a moment to recognize
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, whose quick thinking and use of his
security training helped save lives. I sincerely appreciate you taking
the time to share your experiences here with us today.
I would also like to recognize the dedicated Federal, State, and
local law enforcement officers who answered the call that day. Our
first responders put their lives on the line every day and we thank
them for helping to keep our communities safe.
Chairwoman Demings and Chairwoman Slotkin, I would like to thank
you both for convening this hearing today to discuss FEMA's Nonprofit
Security Grant Program and the critical role this program plays in
protecting houses of worship.
The event that took place at the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue
is unfortunately just the latest in a string of anti-Semitic attacks
that have plagued Jewish communities both at home and abroad in recent
years.
In 2017, a retired French doctor was killed in her Paris apartment
by an attacker motivated by anti-Semitism. The following year, and much
closer to home, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs opened fire inside
the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, killing 11
congregants. And in December 2019, a Jewish kosher deli was attacked in
Jersey City, New Jersey, leaving 4 victims dead.
While faith-based communities across the country face varying
levels of discrimination, the American Jewish community continues to
face a persistent threat of violence. This is a threat that has been
shown to come from a variety of ideological motivations.
According to the FBI's hate crime statistics, in 2020, there were
1,174 victims who were targeted due to their religion. Of those
victims, the Jewish community accounted for 54.9 percent of all
religious bias crimes.
These reported anti-Semitic incidents occurred at Jewish
institutions such as synagogues, Jewish community centers, and Jewish
schools. The reported incidents included harassment, vandalism, and
assault.
While the continued prevalence of these attacks can sometimes seem
overwhelming, as Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker showed us, the proper use
of security training and resources can help save lives.
One of the most important resources available to houses of worship
is FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). This competitive
grant program provides funding support for target hardening and other
security-related activities to nonprofit organizations that are at high
risk of a terrorist attack.
Specifically, the NSGP seeks to integrate the preparedness
activities of these nonprofit organizations with broader State, local,
Tribal, and territorial preparedness efforts.
The vital nature of this program is highlighted by the fact that in
fiscal year 2021, more than 3,300 nonprofit organizations submitted
applications to the program. Almost 40 percent of the nonprofits that
applied had never before received NSGP funding.
However, due to the wide-spread demand for this program, less than
half of the nonprofits that applied ended up received funding.
As lead Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee's
Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, I
remain committed to working with Chairwoman Demings to help strengthen
our Nation's overall emergency preparedness posture by supporting
programs like the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
I also remain committed to working to combat anti-Semitism and
violence against all religious groups. Freedom of religion is a
cornerstone of our Constitution, and any violation of this freedom
should not be tolerated. For this reason, I co-sponsored a bipartisan
resolution condemning the recent anti-Semitic terrorist act on the
Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue.
In closing, I am incredibly proud to represent Florida's Third, a
district that has such a vibrant faith community. In fact, my district
includes the University of Florida, which is home to the largest Jewish
student organization in the country, Gators for Israel.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the importance of
the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, the ways in which they've used
this grant program to protect their faith communities, and any
recommendations they have to improve the grant program going forward.
Thank you and I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. I thank the Ranking Member for her
opening statement. The Chair now recognizes the Chairwoman of
the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, the
gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms. Slotkin.
Chairwoman Slotkin. Thank you, Madam Chair. A warm, warm
welcome to all of our witnesses.
Since I became the Chair of the Subcommittee on
Intelligence and Counterterrorism last year, about a year ago,
we focused on how the threat to our communities has evolved
over the last several years, from international terrorism to
home-grown and domestic violent extremism. More and more we are
finding that these extremist ideologies don't exist in
isolation. The lines between hate and terror and conspiracy are
increasingly blurring together.
The latest reminder of this truth and the catalyst for this
hearing is what happened and what we saw in Colleyville, Texas,
last month. Ordinary Americans came face-to-face with what
happens when anti-Semitic ideology, terrorist ideology, is
mixed with historic conspiracy theories about Jewish influence.
This evolving threat is one that the Department of Homeland
Security actually just highlighted yesterday in their latest
National terrorism bulletin. As the ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt
told our committee last week, ``Anti-Semitism is at the beating
heart'' of this extremist ideology.
Therefore, Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to place in
the record the National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin that
was issued yesterday by DHS.
Chairwoman Demings. Without objection.
[The information follows:]
[GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairwoman Slotkin. So, let us just be clear about
Colleyville. This was not an isolated incident. The last 5
years have seen a 60 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents
Nation-wide, with 2020 marking the third-highest amount since
ADL began tracking these incidents in the 1970's. We felt this
particularly acutely in the State of Michigan, where I am from,
where we saw a 21 percent increase from graffitied swastikas on
buildings to Zoom bombings.
In the weeks after Colleyville, it has become clear that
this tragedy, like so many before it, has become a rallying
point for hate and extremism of all kinds: Al-Qaeda supporters,
White supremacists, Holocaust deniers, QAnon conspiracy
theorists, Islamophobes. All have seized onto this particularly
tragedy for their own twisted ends.
So, this growing threat can be demoralizing, but as our
witnesses today will note, we are far from powerless against
it. Today, we have the rare ability, particularly for this
committee, the rare ability to not only discuss the tools we
know are effective in protecting against violent hate, but to
hear from someone who can speak to its value better than
anyone.
I am truly honored that we are able to have Rabbi Cytron-
Walker with us today. Simply put, Rabbi Charlie's actions late
last month literally saved lives. As he said, they were made
possible by the training and support he received before the
incident, including the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
We have seen the value of these programs across Michigan. I
will just say when one of the largest mosques in our State,
which is in my district, IAGD, faced a flurry of anti-Islamic
harassment and vandalism just after the Christchurch shooting,
we brought them together with leaders from the Jewish
community, including the rabbi who married me, and worked
together to secure this funding to protect their house of
worship.
Since 2019, this program has provided nearly 7 million to
secure over 70 synagogues, mosques, churches, schools, and
community centers across Michigan. Over 500,000 of that was to
my district and that includes churches in Brighton and Okemos,
a parish in Pinckney, Michigan State's Hillel Program in East
Lansing, and, again, the Islamic Association in Rochester
Hills.
But we know that there is more that we can do, both in
closing the $200 million funding shortfall we have seen since
last year, we have also been advocating with over 170 of our
colleagues in bipartisan basis to make this an easier program
to access, particularly for smaller communities, which is
something the Rabbi and I spoke about.
Today's hearing is focused on some of the most pressing
policy issues and threats before our committee, but for me, it
is also deeply personal. As it happens, Rabbi Charlie is a
native Michigander. He is from the Lansing area, which I
represent; his mom still lives there. He actually went to
summer camp with my brother. But, as we know, other of our
witnesses are wonderful representatives and I want to recognize
their work on these issues for the long term.
Then last, I want to recognize the perverseness of having
to secure our houses of worship the way my colleagues and I had
to harden our facilities when I served in places like Iraq. But
while we work to prevent these tragedies from occurring, it is
also our responsibility to ensure that these same cherished
institutions and sacred places are not the most vulnerable.
We have seen the contradiction between the spirit of
charity and welcoming people into places, like the synagogue in
Colleyville, and then the threats that our faith communities
are facing. But that openness, which moves a congregation to
open up their sanctuary to a stranger in need, that is a
strength in our community and we need to do everything we can
to secure it.
So, looking forward to discussing how we can continue to
protect these houses of worship. With that, Madam Chair, I
yield back.
[The statement of Chairwoman Slotkin follows:]
Statement of Chairwoman Elissa Slotkin
February 8, 2022
Since I became Chair of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and
Counterterrorism last year, we've focused on how the threat to our
communities has evolved over the last several years--from international
terrorism to home-grown and domestic violent extremism.
More and more, we're finding that these extremist ideologies don't
exist in isolation--the lines between hate, terror, and conspiracy are
increasingly blurring together.
The latest reminder of this truth--and the catalyst for this
hearing--is what we saw in Colleyville, TX, last month. Ordinary
Americans came face to face with what happens when an anti-Semitic
terrorist ideology is mixed with historic conspiracy theories about
Jews' influence.
This evolving threat is one that the Department of Homeland
Security highlighted just yesterday, in their latest National terrorism
bulletin. As the ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt told our committee last
week, ``anti-Semitism is at the beating heart'' of these extremist
ideologies.
Let's be clear, this was no isolated incident. The last 5 years
have seen a 60 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents Nation-wide,
with 2020 marking the third-highest amount since the ADL began tracking
them in the 1970's. We've felt this particularly acutely in Michigan,
where we saw a 21 percent increase--from graffitied swastikas to Zoom
bombings.
In the weeks after Colleyville, it's become clear that this
tragedy, like so many before it, has become a rallying point for hate
and extremism of all kinds: Al-Qaeda supporters, White supremacists,
Holocaust deniers, QAnon conspiracy theorists, Islamophobes--all have
seized onto this tragedy for their own twisted ends.
This growing threat can be demoralizing: But as our witnesses today
will note, we are far from powerless against it. Today, we have the
rare ability to not only discuss tools we know are effective in
protecting against this violent hate, but to hear from someone who can
speak to its value better than anyone.
I'm truly honored that we are able to have Rabbi Charlie Cytron-
Walker with us today. Simply put, Rabbi Charlie's actions last month
saved lives--and as he has said, they were made possible by the
training and support he received, before the incident, including
through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).
We've seen the value of this program across Michigan. When one of
the largest mosques in my district, the Islamic Association of Greater
Detroit, faced a flurry of anti-Islamic harassment and vandalism just
after the Christchurch shooting, we brought them together with leaders
from the Detroit Jewish community--and worked together to secure NSGP
funding to protect their house of worship.
Since 2019, this program has provided nearly $7 million to secure
over 70 synagogues, mosques, churches, schools, and community centers
across Michigan--over $500,000 just to those in my district, including
churches in Brighton and Okemos, a parish in Pinckney, Michigan State's
Hillel in East Lansing, and, again, the Islamic Association in
Rochester Hills.
But we know there's still more we can do: Both in closing the $200
million funding shortfall we saw last year, which I've advocated for
along with over 170 of my colleagues, and in making the NSGP easier to
access for our smaller communities.
Today's hearing is focused on some of the most pressing policy
issues and threats before our committee. But for me, it's also deeply
personal. As it happens, Rabbi Charlie is a native Michigander, with
his mom still in Lansing--he actually went to summer camp with my
brother.
But, as Rabbi Konikov has said, this could have been any of our
synagogues, or churches, or mosques, or gurudwaras--Tree of Life,
Christchurch, Sutherland Springs, Oak Creek.
I want to recognize the perverseness of the fact that we need to be
here talking about how to harden our houses of worship against attack,
in the way my colleagues hardened facilities when I was overseas
alongside our military.
But while we work to prevent tragedies like these from occurring,
it's also our responsibility to ensure that our most cherished and
sacred places are not our most vulnerable.
Many have highlighted the seeming contradiction between the spirit
of charity with which the attacker in Colleyville was welcomed into the
congregation, and the threats facing our faith communities.
But that openness, which moves a congregation to open their
sanctuary to a stranger in need? That's our strength as a community.
Today, I'm looking forward to discussing how we can protect it.
Chairwoman Demings. Thank you, Chairwoman Slotkin. The
Chair now recognizes the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on
Intelligence and Counterterrorism, the gentleman from Texas,
Mr. Pfluger, for an opening statement.
Mr. Pfluger. Thank you, Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman
Slotkin, Ranking Member Cammack. It is very important today and
I really appreciate the effort that we are going through here
to hold this important joint subcommittee hearing and to thank
our witnesses for your time and for joining a discussion on an
issue that threatens the safety and security of Americans
across the country and, unfortunately, is pervasive throughout
the world.
The Jewish community is targeted more often than any other
religious group in the United States. Since the FBI began
collecting crime data in the 1990's, the number of hate crimes
against the Jewish community have ranged from 600 to 1,200
incidents each year. Quite frankly, that data being
voluntarily, it could probably also be very under-
representative of the true facts. In 2020, the most recent year
that the FBI has published data, Jewish Americans were the
target of nearly 60 percent of all religiously-motivated hate
crimes, despite accounting for less than 2 percent of the total
U.S. population.
It is imperative that we get a better understanding of the
threat that Jewish Americans face every day and how Federal and
local law enforcement can better work together to protect not
just this demographic, but also against any sort of hate crime
because it is completely unacceptable.
I am especially grateful to have Rabbi Charlie Cytron-
Walker here today as a witness. First off, sir, you are a hero
and we are grateful for the bravery and the courage that you
showed in a very trying time. Barely a month ago, a British
citizen, Malik Faisal Akram, took the rabbi and 3 other members
of Congregation Beth Israel hostage on a Saturday in
Colleyville, Texas. Akram's goal was allegedly to secure the
release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani terrorist who is serving
an 86-year term in a Fort Worth prison for the attempted murder
of U.S. officers in Afghanistan. But in the face of danger,
Rabbi Cytron-Walker waited for an opportune moment and acted.
We are absolutely grateful, Rabbi, for your quick thinking,
your heroic actions, your courage, and really the fact that you
were prepared. It is unfortunate, and I agree with Chairwoman
Slotkin, that it is unfortunate that we have to be thinking
like that, you know. But I very much appreciate your courage
and that we didn't have an incident that could have been worse.
We owe it to all the houses of worship across America, and
especially to our synagogues, to bolster safety and security
from any sort of religiously-motivated hate crime or threat of
terrorism. At the Federal level we must make improvements to
our information-sharing agreements, with our Visa Waiver
Program partner countries to ensure that others like Akram with
violent criminal histories are known to DHS and to the agency
partners before they are allowed to enter the United States, to
move freely and threaten any American citizen.
We must also ensure that communications and information
sharing between the Federal and local law enforcement levels
continues to be strong, that it continues to move between these
agencies to detect threats, so that we can prevent situations
like Colleyville from happening. What brings us here today, we
must continue our support of faith-based communities through
the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
I am very interested to hear from our witnesses today as to
how they are working to protect Jewish synagogues, schools, and
recreational facilities. I would like to learn more about the
threat that we face, that they face, and the partnerships that
we see, the reporting capabilities and how the information
sharing is really working. I am interested in those details, so
that we can protect our houses of worship, so that we can
continue to have that freedom that our framers and that our
Constitution allows and that really, quite frankly, makes this
country the greatest country in the world.
Protecting our houses of worship, it is essential to our
safety and our security, but it is essential to being an
American. An attack on the Jewish members of our community is
an attack on the very pillars of the religious freedoms that
our country was founded upon.
So, in closing, I would like to thank our witnesses and I
would like to thank Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman Slotkin, and
Ranking Member Cammack for holding this very important meeting,
and I yield back.
[The statement of Ranking Member Pfluger follows:]
Statement of Ranking Member August Pfluger
Thank you, Chairwoman Slotkin and Chairwoman Demings, for holding
this important joint subcommittee hearing today, and thank you to our
witnesses for joining us to discuss an issue that threatens the safety
and security of Americans across the country and is pervasive
throughout the world.
The Jewish community is targeted more often than any other
religious group in the United States. Since the FBI started collecting
crime data in the 1990's, the number of hate crimes against the Jewish
community has ranged from 600 to 1,200 incidents every year. And, since
the FBI's data is based on voluntary reporting by local law
enforcement, these statistics are frequently either underreported or
not reported at all. In 2020, the most recent year the FBI has
published data on, Jewish Americans were the target of nearly 60
percent of the religiously-motivated hate crimes, despite accounting
for less than 2 percent of the U.S. population. I am very interested in
getting a better understanding of the threat Jewish Americans face
every day and how Federal and local law enforcement can work to better
protect them, as well as other at-risk religious groups.
I am especially grateful to have Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker as a
witness today. Barely a month ago, British citizen Malik Faisal Akram
took the Rabbi, along with three other members of Congregation Beth
Israel, hostage during their Saturday service in Colleyville, Texas.
Akram's goal was to secure the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani
terrorist serving an 86-year sentence in a Fort Worth prison for the
attempted murder of U.S. officers in Afghanistan. In the face of
danger, Rabbi Cytron-Walker waited for an opportune moment and acted.
We are incredibly thankful, Rabbi, for your quick thinking and heroic
actions that day, leading to the safe escape of you and your
congregants.
We owe it to all houses of worship in America, and especially to
our synagogues, to bolster their safety and security from all
religiously-motivated hate crimes and threats of terrorism. At the
Federal level, we must make improvements to our information-sharing
agreements with our Visa Waiver Program partner countries to ensure
that others like Akram with violent criminal histories are known to DHS
and their agency partners before they are allowed to move freely about
the United States. We must also ensure communication and information
sharing between Federal and local law enforcement to guarantee
responsiveness and prevention capabilities for situations like
Colleyville. And, what brings us here today, we must continue our
support of faith-based communities through the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program.
I am very interested to hear from our witnesses today as to how
they are working to protect Jewish synagogues, schools, and
recreational facilities around the country. I would like to learn more
about the threat Jewish Americans face, partnerships they have with law
enforcement, their reporting capabilities to threats of violence as
well as attacks, and how Congress can help improve the current security
measures they have in place. Protecting our houses of worship is
essential to the safety and security of all Americans. An attack on the
Jewish members of our communities is an attack on the very pillars of
religious freedom our country was founded upon. Thank you again to all
our witnesses for joining us today, and I look forward to a robust
conversation.
Chairwoman Demings. The Chairwoman thanks the Ranking
Member. It is now my honor to recognize the Chair of the full
committee, the gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Thompson, for an
opening statement.
Chairman Thompson. Thank you, Chairwoman Demings,
Chairwoman Slotkin, Ranking Member Cammack, and Ranking Member
Pfluger, for holding this timely hearing.
In the early 2020, in the wake of anti-Semitic attacks on
Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey, including a
deadly invasion of a rabbi's home during Hanukkah, the
committee held a series of hearings on the topic. At the time,
we received testimony from a diverse group of Jewish leaders
about what the Federal Government should be doing to respond to
the rise of anti-Semitic terrorism and violence.
They issued an urgent call for the increased funding for
the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which Congress answered.
Funding was doubled to $180 million. Earlier this Congress, the
House passed the Build Back Better Act, which would add $100
million to the program.
Last week, we received compelling testimony from Jonathan
Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, about how
the Jewish community is a primary target for violent extremists
from across the ideological spectrum. Certainly, last month's
attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas,
illustrates that fact, as the perpetrator was cheered by both
violent White supremacists and Islamist terrorists.
Today, we are fortunate to have a hero in our midst. Rabbi
Cytron-Walker, thank you for joining us and being so willing to
share your story. I understand you relied on knowledge gained
from security training to bring the incident being to a
peaceful conclusion. Your steadiness and courage were
undoubtedly important factors.
On the subject of the Colleyville attack, I would note that
the committee is conducting aggressive oversight into this
incident and met just last week with the FBI and other
officials. While the attacker appears to have been motivated by
the desire to force the release of an Islamist terrorist, the
approach he took was predicated on the belief in historic and
dangerous anti-Semitic tropes about so-called ``Jewish power.''
Such tropes are a prominent feature of a number of conspiracies
espoused by QAnon and others and put real people in danger. It
falls to all of us to speak out loudly against them.
As someone with a long history with the Nonprofit Security
Grant Program, I am pleased that we are holding this hearing
today to get testimony on the record about the importance of
the program and why its funding should be significantly
increased.
With that, Madam Chair, I yield back.
[The statement of Chairman Thompson follows:]
Statement of Chairman Bennie G. Thompson
February 8, 2022
In early 2020, in the wake of anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish
communities in New York and New Jersey, including a deadly invasion of
a rabbi's home during Chanukah, the committee held a series of hearings
on the topic. At the time, we received testimony from a diverse group
of Jewish leaders about what the Federal Government should be doing to
respond to the rise in anti-Semitic terrorism and violence.
They issued an urgent call for increased funding for the Nonprofit
Security Grant Program--which Congress answered. Funding was doubled to
$180 million. Earlier this Congress, the House passed the Build Back
Better Act which would add $100 million to the program.
Last week, we received compelling testimony from Jonathan
Greenblatt, the head of Anti-Defamation League, about how the Jewish
community is a primary target for violent extremists from across the
ideological spectrum. Certainly, last month's attack on Congregation
Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas illustrates that fact--as the
perpetrator was cheered by both violent White supremacists and Islamist
terrorists.
Today, we are fortunate to have a hero in our midst. Rabbi Cytron-
Walker, thank you for joining us and being so willing to share your
story. I understand you relied on knowledge gained from security
trainings to bring the incident being to a peaceful conclusion, and
your steadiness and courage were undoubtedly important factors.
On the subject of the Colleyville attack, I would note that the
committee is conducting aggressive oversight into this incident and met
just last week with FBI. While the attacker appears to have been
motivated by the desire to force the release of an Islamist terrorist,
the approach he took was predicated on the belief in historic and
dangerous anti-Semitic tropes about so-called ``Jewish power.'' Such
tropes are a prominent feature of a number of conspiracies espoused by
Q-Anon and others and put real people in danger. It falls to all of us
to speak out loudly against them.
As someone with a long history with the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program, I am pleased that we are holding this hearing today to get
testimony on the record about the importance of the program and why its
funding should be significantly increased.
Chairwoman Demings. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members are
reminded that the committees will operate according to the
guidelines laid out by the Chairman and Ranking Member in their
February 3 colloquy regarding remote procedures. Without
objection, Members not on the subcommittees shall be permitted
to sit and question the witnesses. Additional Member statements
may be submitted for the record.
[The statement of Honorable Jackson Lee follows:]
Statement of Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee
February 8, 2022
Thank you, Chairwoman Demings and Ranking Member Cammack, for
convening the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and
Recovery to hear witnesses at today's hearing entitled, ``The Nonprofit
Security Grant Program and Protecting Houses of Worship: A View from
the American Jewish Community.''
I look forward to hearing from today's witnesses:
Charlie Cytron-Walker, Rabbi, Congregation Beth Israel,
Colleyville, Texas;
Yosef Konikov, Rabbi, Chabad of South Orlando;
Eric Fingerhut, president & CEO, Jewish Federations of North
America (Minority Witness); and
Michael Masters, national director & CEO, Secure Community
Network.
The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony from leaders in
the American Jewish Community about the heightened violence and threats
against their houses of worship and community members.
This hearing will highlight the importance of the Nonprofit
Security Grant Program (NSGP), which plays a critical role in helping
at-risk nonprofit organizations and religious communities bolster
security.
I am eager to hear directly from members of diverse segments of the
American Jewish community and the Jewish Federation of North America
(JFNA) on what improvements are needed to help secure places of worship
against attacks.
Recent attacks against synagogues in the United States include:
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting (2018)
Poway synagogue shooting (2019)
Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis (2022).
Prior to September 11, 2001, the Federal Government had a wide
range of law enforcement, National security, and crime investigative
agencies that collected information, but jealously guarded this
information from other agencies.
More than 20 years after the 9/11 attacks, the terrorism landscape
is complex, diffused, and dynamic.
The 9/11 Commission Report allowed an in-depth assessment of the
failures that led to the horrific terrorist attacks against the United
States that cost the lives of nearly 3,000 people.
The House Committee on Homeland Security was created to implement
the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report and ensure that
resources were provided to support the mission of homeland security.
The most significant task of the committee was guiding the
establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and making sure
that it had all that it would need to carry out its mission to keep all
Americans safe from the threat of terrorism.
I, along with other Members who have served on this committee since
its inception, made a commitment that a terrorist attack of the
magnitude that occurred on September 11, 2001, would never happen
again.
An essential component of our ability to keep this commitment was
the establishment of stronger ties among local, State, and Federal law
enforcement and building collaborations with private-sector partners.
Since the founding of DHS its mission remains the same--to defend
the homeland from terrorist attacks and to help victims recover from
disasters that are natural and man-made.
Although terrorist actors espousing violent Islamist ideologies
continue to pose a threat, the greatest terrorism threat to the
homeland today is posed by domestic violent extremists, particularly
from those who promote a violent White supremacy ideology.
Further complicating counter-terrorism efforts is the convergence
of violent ideologies where violent White supremacy (including anti-
Semitism) often combines with other violent ideologies to drive an
attack.
The face and threats posed by terrorism is now sourced from
domestic threats that have been present within this Nation for a very
long time but have found voice to reemerge in recent years.
This domestic threat to Americans has been most acutely felt by
African American, Jewish, Asian, and Hispanic Americans.
Some of the tragedies include:
Hundreds of Black Americans horrifically massacred in Tulsa,
Oklahoma (1921);
Attack at the Federal building in Oklahoma City killed 168
people, including 19 children (1995);
Sikh Temple of Wisconsin where 6 persons were killed during
worship services (2012);
White supremist kills 9 worshipers at the Mathe Mother
Emanual Church Charleston South Carolina (2015);
In 2017, 4 people were seriously injured at a Congressional
baseball practice (2017);
Tree of Life Synagogue were tragically killed during Shabbat
morning services (2018);
Poway synagogue shooting (2019);
El Paso mass shooting attacker targeting Hispanics killed 22
(2019);
January 6 attack on the Capitol following historic high
turnout of minority voters in Georgia and Arizona impacting the
outcome of the Presidential and Senate elections (2021); and
Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis (2022).
Since 2018, there have been 3 violence attacks targeting the
American Jewish community and hundreds of incidents of centered on
hate.
In 2018, ADL recorded 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents, the third-
highest number of recorded incidents in the past 4 decades.
In 2020, Jewish institutions reported 327 anti-Semitic incidents,
an increase of 40 percent from 234 in 2019.
Additionally, in 2020, Jewish institutions further highlighted that
of the 327 reported anti-Semitic incidents, ``264 were incidents of
harassment, 61 were incidents of vandalism and 3 were incidents of
assault.''
As a result of COVID-19 many religious observances are moving to
virtual platforms and Jewish organizations report having their
videoconferences disturbed or hijacked by interlopers who express anti-
Semitic sentiments.
In 2020 alone, the ADL reported 196 cases of anti-Semitic ``Zoom
bombing'' attacks in the United States, including 114 against Jewish
institutions.
Members of the Jewish faith may be able to fully understand the
threat posed by these acts of violence because of a history that spans
millenniums with stories of violence carried out against members of the
Jewish faith--just because of how they worship God.
This history did not turn the community of believers inward--but
the opposite.
The power of the collective Jewish communities' compassionate
loving reaction to terrible acts of violence was witnessed by human and
civil rights leaders from the earliest efforts to end slavery, Jim
Crow, and today's fight for equity within the United States.
This is the bond that connects the Civil Rights movement to the
Jewish Faith, which includes joining in marches, sit-ins, voter
registration drives in the deep South--none of which were safe things
to do--but they were the right things to do for the Nation.
An embodiment of this joint struggle were the deaths of Goodman,
Schwerner, and Chaney--names that will forever be linked.
On February 1, 2022, the first day of Black History month bomb
threats targeting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
is both disturbing and tragic.
Many HBCUs welcomed Jewish intellectuals fleeing Europe during the
rise of Nazism in the early 1930's.
During this period more than two-thirds of the faculty hired at
many HBCUs from 1933 to 1945 had come to the United States to escape
Nazi Germany.
HBCUs believed the Jewish professors were valuable faculty that
would help strengthen their institutions' credibility.
HBCUs had a firm belief in diversity and giving opportunity no
matter the race, religion, or country of origin.
HBCUs were open to Jews because of their ideas of equal learning
spaces, which demonstrated that an environment where all people felt
welcome to study, including women could prosper.
In this environment the leaders of the modern civil rights movement
were educated.
The history of the civil rights movement and HBCUs is inextricable
linked.
HBCUs are where early civil rights leaders and church leaders were
forged.
The list of prominent leaders and the HBCUs they attended:
Kamala Harris (Howard University)
Martin Luther King (Morehouse)
Rosa Parks (Alabama State)
Medgar Evers (Alcorn State University)
Thurgood Marshall (Lincoln University and Howard University)
Jesse Jackson (North Carolina A&T)
Ralph Albernathy (Alabama State University)
Lonnie Johnson (Tuskegee State University)
Langston Hughes (Lincoln University)
Harry and Harriette Moore (Bethune Cookman College)
Clementa Carlos Pinckney (Allen University)
Toni Morrison (Howard University)
Booker T. Washington (Hampton University)
Alice Walker (Spelman)
Katherine Johnson (West Virginia State University)
John Lewis (Fisk University)
W.E.B. Dubois (Fisk University)
Ida B. Wells (Fisk University).
Targeting African Americans for working for all Americans to have
equal access to housing, employment, and opportunities is best
illustrated by the history of Birmingham Alabama, which earned the
bloody name of ``Bombingham'' because of the number of bomb attacks in
that city between 1947 and 1965, the year the Voting Rights Act passed.
The first martyrs of the civil rights movement were Henry and
Henrietta Moore, two voting and civil rights activists who won battles
for voting rights and equal pay in the State of Florida.
At the time of their murder Florida had the highest number of
registered Black voters in all of the South.
In 1951, they were both killed by a bomb placed under their bed on
Christmas Eve, the date of their anniversary.
The struggle to make the United States in word and deed live up to
the words of the Constitution continues, but we must be prepared to
weather the storms caused by those who want to drag the Nation back
into a dark place in its history.
It is important to note that the violence targeting African
Americans dropped drastically with the passage of the Voting Rights Act
of 1965.
Because of the real threat of violence faced by vulnerable groups
the DHS security grants program is a necessary and important tool that
must be available to assist places of worship in increasing security.
Members of this committee recognize that the terror landscape has
changed: Violent extremists today pick and choose individual elements
of violent ideologies that fit their world view.
Groups from ISIS to domestic White supremacist are united in their
violent anti-Semitism--leaving the American Jewish Community
particularly vulnerable.
Nonprofits, including those within the American Jewish community,
have no choice but to invest in protection against the threat from
these violent ideologies, and rely on NSGP funding to do so.
Democrats recognize that we must support these at-risk nonprofits
and ensure that houses of worship have the resources they need to
bolster their security in the face of these terror threats.
I want to make it very clear--that this is not just a burden for
Jewish places of worship to carry--but the responsibility of the United
States to protect against terrorist attacks no matter the target or the
place attacked--it is vitally important that all members of our Nation
feel and know that they are not alone when they face a threat.
An attack against one place of worship is an attack against all
places of worship.
As I learn of the incident that brought violence to a place of
worship, it always touches me deeply because of the place my faith
experiences have in my life--I am shaped by my experiences in the place
where my worshiped.
Places of worship are and must remain places of peace,
contemplation, introspection, connections to our present, past, and
future.
Democrats have doubled funding for Nonprofit Security Grant Program
from $90 million in fiscal year 2020 to $180 million in fiscal year
2021, but it is still not enough to meet the real and pressing need.
As a Member of the House Budget Committee, I join other Members of
this committee in calling for significant increases to funding in
fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill and the ``Build Back Better Act''
would have added $100 million in additional funding.
In addition to more funding, the infrastructure of the Nonprofit
Security Grant Program both within FEMA and among the States needs to
mature to help ensure that eligible at-risk non-profits can easily
apply and access the resources they desperately need to ensure
community members can worship and congregate safely.
I look forward to today's testimony and the work of this committee
to continue in its efforts to strengthen and improve the Nonprofit
Security Grant Program.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Thank you.
Chairwoman Demings. I now welcome again our panel of
witnesses. I will recognize the gentlewoman from Michigan, Ms.
Slotkin, to introduce our first witness.
Chairwoman Slotkin. Great. Thank you, Madam Chair. It is my
honor to introduce Rabbi Cytron-Walker to our committee. Over
the past month, Americans have come to know him for his heroic
actions last month, which undoubtedly saved lives. But Rabbi
Charlie has been the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in
Colleyville, in Texas, since 2006. He graduated from the
University of Michigan, which we won't hold against him, in
1998. He received his rabbinical ordination from Hebrew Union
College in 2006.
Along the way he worked with the homeless population in Ann
Arbor and a civil rights organization in Detroit, and has been
recognized for his leadership on a whole range of issues, all
emblematic of the warm spirit which he bring to his ministry.
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, we are proud to call him
a proud Michigander and native of Lansing, Michigan, which I
represent.
On the day of the attack, I found myself talking to his
sister and, through the family rabbi, to his mother as the
events unfolded, just making sure to pass along the great
information or the important information that I was getting
from the Department of Homeland Security. We ended up becoming
quickly connected, as did the entirety of the Detroit Jewish
community on that day. No family should ever have to go through
what that family went through watching the rabbi.
After speaking with Rabbi Charlie in the days since, I have
been really moved by his courage, of course, but also his
exceptional presence of mind during those incidents, which I
know from serving 3 tours in Iraq, when your adrenaline is
going and you are under threat, it is very hard to have
presence of mind. Frankly, his perspective on events and using
this awful experience to advocate for the protection of other
communities in need.
When we spoke on the phone, we spoke about post-traumatic
stress, about leadership and how important leadership is in
these moments, and about these moments in our lives that really
give us purpose and give us mission.
So, Rabbi Charlie, it is our privilege to have you with us
here today, to give you the opportunity to share your story
with Congress, with the world. We feel really proud to host you
at this event. I am very glad for the opportunity as a fellow
Jewish Michigander to welcome you to the committee.
Chairwoman Demings. Our second witness is Rabbi Yosef
Konikov. He is the rabbi of Chabad South Orlando. In 1999,
Rabbi Konikov and his wife founded the Chabad Center in South
Orlando, which includes a Hebrew school, preschool, a popular
summer camp, and several other educational programs and
activities. In 2009, he also founded a private Jewish
elementary school. Again, welcome, Rabbi.
Our third witness is the Honorable Eric D. Fingerhut.
Congressman Fingerhut is the president and CEO of the Jewish
Federations of North America. Congressman Fingerhut has had a
distinguished career in public service, including representing
Ohio's 19th Congressional District from 1993 to 1995. Welcome
back to the House of Representatives, Congressman Fingerhut.
Our fourth and final witness is Michael Masters. Mr.
Masters is the national director and CEO at the Secure
Community Network. Previously, Mr. Masters served as senior
vice president of the Soufan Group and as the executive
director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency
Management for Cook County, Illinois, where he coordinated the
Homeland Security and Emergency Management System.
We are so looking forward to hearing from our witnesses
today. Without objection, the witness' full statements will be
inserted in the record.
I now ask that each witness will summarize their statement
for 5 minutes, beginning with Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker.
STATEMENT OF RABBI CHARLIE CYTRON-WALKER, RABBI, CONGREGATION
BETH ISRAEL
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman
Slotkin, Ranking Member Cammack, Ranking Member Pfluger,
Chairman Thompson, thank you so much for the opportunity to
share some thoughts with you this morning. This is the first
time I have appeared before a Congressional committee and it is
great to see that there are so many fellow Texans and
Michiganders on the subcommittees.
I would like to take a moment before turning to the
substance of my remarks to publicly thank Chairwoman Slotkin
for her kind introduction and even more for her thoughtful
outreach to my family during and after that traumatic day. I
know it was a source of great comfort.
I believe and often teach that Judaism is filled with
contradictions because life is filled with contradictions.
Today I am filled with mixed and even contradictory emotions.
On the one hand, I am truly horrified that in our society today
religious leaders must devote themselves to security training.
How to harden our facilities is both a necessary conversation
and anathema to religious ideals of hospitality and loving the
stranger.
At the same time, I am filled with gratitude. I am grateful
to be here. To be honest, I am grateful to be anywhere.
I am so grateful that 6 years ago almost to the day I
attended the faith-based Security Summit that was hosted by the
FBI, Homeland Security, and our region's U.S. Attorney's
Office. It was my first education related to active shooters
and the first time I was introduced to the concept of a
security committee. Since then, I have participated in about a
half-dozen different security workshops offered by the FBI, the
ADL, Colleyville Police, and the Secure Communities Network.
Those sessions helped me to stay alert, look for an
opportunity, and gave me the courage to act when I needed to.
I am so grateful that just a few months after the Security
Summit our congregation formed our first security subcommittee.
Their work was responsible for numerous physical security
enhancements, educational sessions, and the development of our
security action plan. They built a strong relationship between
the Colleyville PD and Congregation Beth Israel. The police
officers who were at CBI that day knew our building and knew
us. All of their work made a dramatic difference.
I am so grateful for the financial support of our members,
Tarrant County's Jewish Federation, and the Nonprofit Security
Grant Program that made our security plans possible. That
included upgrading our security cameras, which was critical to
law enforcement. Matthew DeSarno, special agent in charge of
the FBI's Dallas field office, has said that the video coverage
gave the decision makers, the negotiators, and others general
situational awareness.
As grateful as I am for the support and funding under the
Nonprofit Security Grant Act, my understanding is that the
funding is not at a level where it can meet the urgent needs of
the communities it was created to protect. Every congregation
needs to be prepared, yet the gap between the need and funding
is profound.
In 2021, fewer than half the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program applications were approved. Further complicating the
situation, it is also my understanding that if an institution
does not receive much-needed security grants, there is no
indication of where their application fell short. Without
feedback, it is impossible to improve the application for the
future.
That is disheartening at a time when religious institutions
need reassurance and support. Perhaps FEMA or the appropriate
agency could be required to provide some type of response to a
grant application. I know that would impose an additional
burden, which would need to be alleviated by additional
funding.
In small congregations we face special challenges in
dealing with Government grants. We have two paid staff: A part-
time administrative assistant and myself. Almost all the work
of running our congregation is done by our members as
volunteers. Perhaps just as the IRS provides short forms for
small organizations, FEMA and other agencies could do the same
here or find another way to lower the barriers for smaller
congregations.
On the morning of January 15, when the gunman arrived,
there was me and one volunteer in the building. I was running
late. I was finishing my preparations for the Torah reading,
organizing the on-line setup, checking sound. In the midst of
trying to do a million different things I had a stranger come
to the door.
I have, of course, thought about that moment a great deal.
I welcomed a terrorist into my congregation. I live with that
responsibility. It is important for you to understand that this
was not a matter of me opening the door just because I value
hospitality. I do value hospitality. The Torah scroll that we
read from each week was gifted to our congregation thanks to
hospitality. I strive to live that value every day. Like so
many congregations of all backgrounds, CBI strives to be a
house of prayer for all people.
At the same time, I also value security. In a small
congregation I am rabbi and tech support and gatekeeper. When
our member asked if I knew the person at the door, I was
distracted, but I still did a visual inspection. After a brief
word, he appeared to be who he said he was: A guy who spent a
night outside in sub-40-degree weather. But that was just the
first analysis, yes.
I served him tea. I also spoke with him throughout the
process to learn his story. Who was he? How did he get to CBI?
Such conversation is welcoming and it gave me an opportunity to
see if he was acting nervous or if his story added up. Security
and hospitality can go hand-in-hand.
I was running late, but I spent time to see if there were
any red flags, and I didn't see any. Of course, I was wrong.
I share this because despite all the plans and funding and
courses, I still opened the door. But because of all the plans
and funding and courses, and literally dozens of small things
that just happened to go our way, we were able to escape.
Right now there are far too many houses of worship that are
just beginning the process we started 6 years ago. Right now
there are far too many houses of worship that have developed
plans and are counting on the Nonprofit Security Grant Program
to put them in place and help them feel more secure in their
spiritual home. Right now there are far too many houses of
worship that won't get the support they need, especially small
congregations.
Tragically, we live in a world where all houses of worship
need protection. All of us need protection. I believe that both
Democrats and Republicans desperately want to change that
reality.
Changing our reality all at once is too much. That is why
Rabbi Tarfon reminds us in ``Pirkei Avot'' that we aren't
obligated to complete the work, but we cannot neglect it. I am
not asking to fix everything, but increasing funding for and
making appropriate adjustments to the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program, the kinds of recommendations that Mr. Fingerhut will
be testifying to just a little bit later on, that would be an
incredibly positive step in the right direction.
It is an honor for me to speak with you today. Thank you
for the opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Rabbi Cytron-Walker follows:]
Prepared Statement of Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker
February 8, 2022
Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman Slotkin, Ranking Member Cammack,
Ranking Member Pfluger, thank you for the opportunity to share some
thoughts with you this morning.
This is the first time I have appeared before a Congressional
committee, and it's great to see so many fellow Texans on the
subcommittees. I would like to take a moment, before turning to the
substance of my remarks, to publicly thank Chairwoman Slotkin for her
kind introduction and, even more, for her thoughtful outreach to my
family during and after that traumatic day. I know it was a source of
great comfort.
I believe, and often teach, that Judaism is filled with
contradictions because life is filled with contradictions. And today I
am filled with mixed and even contradictory emotions.
On the one hand, I am devastated about what brings me before you
today. It's horrific that my congregants and I were held hostage in our
sacred home. It feels so wrong to have those words come out of my
mouth. We spent over 10 hours with a terrorist pointing a gun at us in
our sanctuary. We were concerned for ourselves and for one another. We
were terrified.
And what happened at Tree of Life in Pittsburgh and Chabad of Poway
a few years ago was so much worse. Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox--
those who hate Jews do not distinguish among us. Anti-Semitic attacks
and incidents in every form have increased throughout the country.
There's a lot of concern in the Jewish community. We're struggling. And
we're not alone.
There have been terrible moments of harassment and violence and
bloodshed at churches and mosques, and basically every religion has
experienced challenging moments or tragedy. The murder of 6 worshippers
at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek (WI) in 2012 was devasting. The murder
of 9 worshippers, all Black, at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston
(SC) in 2015 was terrifying for all of us, especially for so many in
the Black community. It was another blow, shattering the perception of
safety in religious spaces.
And for those of us from Texas, we remember the horrific bloodshed
at the Sutherland Springs church--where 26 people were murdered in the
deadliest mass shooting in Texas history and the deadliest shooting in
a place of worship in the United States. No one should fear gathering
to pray or celebrate or mourn or connect in their spiritual home.
All of us need to feel safe in our sacred space and our
communities--and too many people, of every background, don't always
feel safe. And that's heartbreaking. And that's our reality. Even
though the chances are so remote that violence will be visited upon any
one congregation--our recent past has shown that tragedy and trauma can
happen. That's our harsh reality and it's been our harsh reality. We
can't ignore that reality. We have to confront it.
That means we all have to be prepared. Preparation does not mean we
expect calamity or live in fear of disaster. Preparation means that we
will have the resources and policies and training to reduce the chances
of a tragic event and increase the chances of surviving the worst.
This is why my emotions are mixed this morning. I am truly
horrified that in our society today religious leaders must devote
themselves to security training. How to ``harden'' our facilities is
both a necessary conversation and anathema to religious ideals of
hospitality and loving the stranger. And yet I am also grateful. I am
grateful to be here. To be honest, I'm grateful to be anywhere.
So many things went right even as we were confronted by such
violence. And Government support has been invaluable. That's why I
appreciate this opportunity to be with you this morning to thank you
and your colleagues for the support and funding you have provided to
help secure our congregations. It has been, literally, life-saving. At
the same time, it is tragically clear the need is far greater than the
current funding can address, and slight alterations will make a world
of difference.
I am so grateful that 6 years ago, almost to the day, I attended
the Faith-Based Security Summit that was hosted by the FBI, Homeland
Security, and our region's U.S. Attorney's Office. It was my first
education related to active shooters and the first time I was
introduced to the concept of a security committee. Since then, I have
participated in about a half-dozen different security workshops offered
by the FBI, the ADL, Colleyville Police, and the Secure Communities
Network (SCN). Those sessions helped me to stay alert, look for an
opportunity, and gave me the courage to act.
I am so grateful that just a few months after the Security Summit,
Mike Finfer, our current congregational president, formed our first
security subcommittee. Their work was responsible for numerous physical
security enhancements, educational sessions, and the development of our
Security Action Plan. They built a strong relationship between the
Colleyville PD and Congregation Beth Israel. The police officers who
were at CBI that day knew our building and knew us. All of their work
made a dramatic difference.
I am so grateful that Colleyville Mayor, Richard Newton, formed a
Ministerial Alliance that I started attending in 2017. Through those
meetings I was able to develop a strong relationship with city
leadership, the fire chief, and the police chief. I never would have
guessed how important the relationship with Police Chief Miller and
having his cell phone and email at my fingertips would be.
I am so grateful for the financial support of our members, Tarrant
County's Jewish Federation, and the Nonprofit Security Grant Program
that made our security plans possible. That included upgrading our
security cameras, which was critical to law enforcement. Matthew
DeSarno, special agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas Field Office has
said that the video coverage ``gave the decision makers, the
negotiators and others general situational awareness.''\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Nicole Sganga, ``Calls for Boosted Security Funding Intensity
Among Faith Leaders After Texas Synagogue Hostage Standoff,'' CBS News,
January 22, 2022. Available at https://www.cbsnews.com/news/calls-
boosted-security-funding-intensify-among-faith-leaders-after-texas-
synagogue-hostage-standoff/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As grateful as I am for the support and funding under the Nonprofit
Security Grant Act, my understanding is that the funding is not at a
level where it can meet the urgent needs of the communities it was
created to protect. Every congregation needs to be prepared, yet the
gap between the need and funding is profound: In 2021 fewer than half
of Nonprofit Security Grant Program applications were approved.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Marc Rod, ``Fewer Than Half of NSGP Grant Applications Approved
for 2021,'' JewishInsider, July 28, 2021. Available at https://
jewishinsider.com/2021/07/less-than-half-of-nsgp-grant-applications-
approved-for-2021/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further complicating the situation, it is also my understanding
that if an institution does not receive a much-needed security grant,
there is no indication of where their application fell short. Without
feedback, it's impossible to improve the application for the future.
That's disheartening at a time when religious institutions need
reassurance and support. Perhaps FEMA or the appropriate agency could
be required to provide some type of response to a grant application. I
know that would impose an additional burden, which would need to be
alleviated by additional funding.
Others who have a better picture of the National situation will
speak to you this morning; I want to add a few thoughts from the
perspective of a small congregation.
Small congregations--which are most congregations in all faiths
across the county--face special challenges in dealing with Government
grants. We have 2 paid staff--a part-time administrative assistant and
myself. Almost all of the work of running our congregation is done by
our members, as volunteers. It typically takes all their efforts to
keep the lights on and the synagogue running. Filling out extensive
forms and finding the information they require is typically more than
they can handle. Many small congregations don't even apply because they
see the paperwork requirements and they admit defeat. We were fortunate
that we happened to have a very capable volunteer who was able to
dedicate an incredible amount of time to our effort to secure a grant.
I understand the need for accountability and fraud prevention. Perhaps
just as the IRS provides ``short forms'' for small organizations, FEMA
and other agencies could do the same here or find another way to lower
the barriers for smaller congregations.
For while small congregations might not have the resources to fill
out all of the paperwork, a small congregation is a special place that
needs your support and your protection. There's always a gap between
our ideal and our reality, and at a small congregation that gap can be
quite wide. The ideal would be to have at least one volunteer outside
of locked doors to welcome attendees and at least one volunteer inside
to let people in. That would be a stretch goal for us when it's not
COVID, and during COVID, it just wasn't a possibility. We only had 3
congregants show up in person a few weeks ago.
On the morning of January 15, when the gunman arrived, it was me
and one volunteer in the building. I was running a bit late. I was
finishing my preparations for the Torah reading and loading the
PowerPoint slides with the prayers onto the computer. I needed to turn
on projectors and check the sound and start Zoom and Facebook Live. I
was rabbi and tech support; not an uncommon situation. And in the midst
of trying to do a million different things, I had a stranger come to
the door.
I have, of course, thought about that moment a great deal. I
welcomed a terrorist into my congregation. Four of us could have died
and I would have been responsible. I live with that responsibility. And
it's important for you to understand that this was not a matter of me
opening the door just because I value hospitality.
I do value hospitality. I have welcomed in people who were Jewish
or who were interested in learning about Judaism--all races, all gender
identities, all income levels . . . people with accents and piercings
and tattoos. The Torah scroll that we read from each week was gifted to
our congregation thanks to hospitality. I strive to live that value
every day. Like so many congregations--synagogues, churches, and
mosques--Congregation Beth Israel strives to be ``a house of prayer for
all people.''\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Isaiah 56:7.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the same time, I also value security. When our member asked if I
knew the person at the door, I was distracted, but I still did a visual
inspection and after a brief word, he appeared to be who he said he
was--a guy who spent a night outside in sub 40-degree weather. But that
was just the first analysis. Yes, I served him tea. I also spoke with
him throughout the process to learn his story. Who was he? How did he
get to CBI? Such conversation is welcoming and gave me an opportunity
to see if he was acting nervous or if his story added up. Security and
hospitality can go hand-in-hand. I was running late, but I spent time
to see if there were any red flags and I didn't see any. Of course, I
was wrong.
I share this because despite all the plans and funding and
courses--I still opened the door. But because of all the plans and
funding and courses and literally dozens of small things that just
happened to go our way, we were able to escape.
And right now, there are far too many houses of worship that are
just beginning the process we started 6 years ago.
Right now, there are far too many houses of worship that have
developed plans and are counting on the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program to put them into place and help them feel more secure in their
spiritual home.
Right now, there are far too many houses of worship who won't get
the support they need.
Tragically, we live in a world where those houses of worship need
protection. And I believe that both Democrats and Republicans want to
change that reality. It's not naivete--it's intentional societal
disobedience. I refuse to accept that any of you are satisfied with the
status quo. We all need to work together to solve our problems.
Changing our reality all at once is a bit too much to ask. That's
why Rabbi Tarfon \4\ that we aren't obligated to complete the work, but
we can't neglect it. I'm not asking to fix everything, but increasing
funding for and making appropriate adjustments to the Nonprofit
Security Grant Program would be an incredibly positive step in the
right direction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Pirkei Avot (Ethics of Our Ancestors), 2:16.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is an honor for me to speak with you today. Thank you for the
opportunity.
Chairwoman Demings. Thank you, Rabbi Cytron-Walker, for
your testimony. I now recognize Rabbi Konikov to summarize his
statement for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF RABBI YOSEF KONIKOV, RABBI, CHABAD OF SOUTH
ORLANDO
Rabbi Konikov. Good morning. Thank you for allowing me to
participate in today's hearing. Thanks also to our own very
dear House Representative, Chair Val Demings, for inviting me
and for all she does for our district and for our great
country.
My name is Rabbi Yosef Konikov. I am the senior rabbi at
the Chabad Center for Jewish Life, serving the South Orlando
community. Twenty-two years ago I arrived here to further the
mission of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson,
who was actually honored by this Congress with its highest
civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 1994. That
mission, in which I engaged together with thousands of
colleagues across all 50 States, is to share the Torah's
message of love for others, unity, kindness, charity, and
faith.
Today at our center, people of all ages, from all
backgrounds and walks of life, come to find strength, meaning,
and encouragement, to study, be inspired, and derive a true
sense of community. We are well-known for our nonjudgmental
approach and accessibility.
This has been very exciting for me, especially since my own
grandfather, also a rabbi, tried to do the same in Soviet
Russia years ago, but was restricted, even persecuted, for his
mere practice of faith. As anti-Semitism and Communism didn't
allow him to practice his religion openly, he fled to these
shores and thankfully found a wonderful country, the land of
the free and the home of the brave, where we can live in peace
and practice our religion freely and with pride, without fear
or danger.
But sadly, new realities are echoing the dangers of the
last generation, albeit this time not from the Government, but
radicals and prejudiced, misguided citizens. These realities
are causing many members of our community, and I know many
others as well, to suddenly feel uncomfortable and even afraid
to visit our center and synagogue and enjoy its many offerings.
Well beyond our own centers, I know people in today's climate
actually hesitate to openly observe our religion, to study with
us, or just to come by to get inspired.
Suddenly, we have become occupied with trying to calm
people from their immediate fears of physical threats. Each new
attack on a place of worship only exacerbates their fears.
When I decided to be a rabbi, I never envisioned that
contending with physical threats would be a part of my
spiritual mission in the USA. Take, for example, as we just
heard from Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, the recent attack on
Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The first
reaction I heard from our community members was, I am so
worried about them. My heart goes out to them.
But the next thing I typically heard was, Rabbi, that could
have been us.
Indeed, there has been a disproportionate amount of
incidents at facilities led and operated by my colleagues
across the United States. Sadly, these events keep people away
from synagogue. They make people hesitate before bringing their
kids to a place that is in truth the healthiest place for a
child. This is so unfortunate.
Too often people call me and say, Rabbi, I just want to
check if the guard is there today. Otherwise, I don't think I
am going to come.
As for us in Orlando, we not only read about anti-Semitism
and hate, we at Chabad of South Orlando are regrettably on the
front lines of these incidents with too-often hate crimes, bomb
threats, and more. For example, just 2 weeks ago, in Orlando,
neo-Nazis displayed flags, Nazi paraphernalia, attacked a
motorist, used pepper spray on people, and caused general
security alerts.
Just a few months ago, this same group stationed themselves
in front of our own Chabad Center for 3 hours, demonstrating
with swastikas, other anti-Semitic signs, and hateful speech,
yelling and cursing, including making threats on their
loudspeakers, all with the sinister intention to intimidate and
frighten everyone entering and exiting our Chabad Center,
including many small innocent children.
Thankfully, the law enforcement arrived. We would have
wished they would send them away, but at least they were
present and prevented any harm coming to our community members.
We have here on the screen, and I am holding as well, a
flyer that was distributed throughout the Central Florida area
related to COVID how the Jews are to blame for the COVID
agenda. It is these types of things that really frighten people
in the community, especially when people are already hesitating
coming back to the Center or Synagogue due to COVID. When they
see these conspiracies being shared, it only exacerbates their
fears.
ADL's most recent Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents in the
United States recorded more than 2,100 acts of assault,
vandalism, and harassment, an increase of 12 percent over the
previous year. Our Center has been victim to other horrible
real on-line threats, including a series of phone threats,
which have been swiftly and efficiently dealt with thanks to
the sterling work of the FBI.
Just this week, as we were trying to give out free food to
families with children, a woman who was volunteering on the car
pick-up drive-through turned to me and said, Rabbi, I don't
think this is safe. Anyone can drive through here and cause
harm.
Trying to reassure her, I responded, you might be taking
this too far. Someone can also do harm on your way home.
She responded, I am not afraid at home. I am afraid here.
The United States must help its citizens be protected, so
they can practice their religion freely. Indeed, this is a
cornerstone of the founding of this great Nation.
As highly-visible Jewish sites with the largest
infrastructure of synagogues and educational and social centers
across the United States, over 2,500 centers in all 50 States,
more than 200 in the State of Florida alone, the Chabad-
Lubavitch movement represents and is regularly responsible for
the spiritual welfare of millions, men, women, and children at
our sites and programs which impact and enhance communities in
cities across our Nation.
We need better security to help us, our congregants, and
the wider community, as well as other communities around the
country, deter, detect, delay, and even defend ourselves from
those who wish to cause us harm.
The NSGP program is an amazing program, but it is a very
competitive one and fewer than half of applicant sites were
awarded nationally last year in the fiscal year of 2021. We did
receive the grant, the 2020, but then COVID hit and red tape
has caused delays. Despite the award, we have not been able to
implement the grant, sadly.
I agree with many of the statements that Rabbi Cytron-
Walker mentioned about ways to cut down the time in order to
implement the grant and ways to perhaps advance monies to allow
the process to begin, although it is mentioned in the program,
perhaps something can be done immediately in order to protect
these sites. It can hardly be overemphasized how time is of the
essence in this matter and addressing it properly and
effectively.
I also feel that perhaps we need more funds in order to
allow for everyone that needs to be protected, be protected.
Perhaps $500 million should be appropriated to protect these
sites and ensure security for the homeland.
I appreciate that our representatives in Washington,
American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) maintain close contact
with officials at the Department of Homeland Security, SCN, the
Conference of Presidents, and other relevant contributors to a
strong support for development and implementation of these
programs. We across the Nation need the strength now more than
ever.
I close by quoting the Rebbe again, who guided world Jewry
and the post-Holocaust generation through continued threats of
anti-Semitism world-wide and fear of annihilation of Jews in
Israel, and always declared that Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish
people will survive and grow ever stronger and our trust in God
is to remain steadfast. Standing with the anticipation for a
brighter era of world peace, the Biblical promised time of
redemption and tranquility, he said, ``We must stand proud and
strong and continue to be the shining light and moral compass
for the world around us.''
He repeatedly implored the Government of the United States,
built on the principles of faith, trust in God, and justice, to
stand by our side and the side of all its citizens to secure
our rights to live in peace and without any fear of those who
wished our demise.
I stand here today as a representative of every Jew and
shoulder to shoulder with every peace-loving citizen of this
great Nation to urge our leaders, our Government, and its
agencies to significantly increase its efforts and do
everything in its power to secure our safety and our freedom so
that we may continue to be a light to the nations in
tranquility and in peace. We hope to live in peace, as written
in the Bible, Kings 1, a passage quoted by our founding
President, George Washington, to the early Jewish community in
the United States, ``Each shall live under his vine and fig
tree and no man shall be afraid.''
I eagerly await the fulfillment of the prophecy when,
``Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation, and the world
will know war no more.'' A time when there will be no hatred
nor jealousy. ``And the world will be filled with the knowledge
of God,'' speedily in our days.
Thank you for your time and for allowing me to share my
thoughts and suggestions.
[The prepared statement of Rabbi Konikov follows:]
Prepared Statement of Rabbi Yosef Konikov
February 8, 2022
Thank you for allowing me to participate in today's hearing, and
thanks also to our own House Representative, Chair Val Demings, for
inviting me, and for all she does for our district and our great
country.
My name is Rabbi Yosef Konikov, I am the senior rabbi at the Chabad
Center for Jewish Life, serving the South Orlando Community.
Twenty-two years ago, I arrived here to further the mission of the
Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, of sacred memory, who was
actually honored by this Congress with its highest civilian honor, the
Congressional Gold Medal, in 1994.
That mission, in which I engage together with thousands of
colleagues across all 50 States, is to share the Torah's message of
love for others, unity, kindness, charity, and faith.
Today, at our center, people of all ages and from all backgrounds
and walks of life, come to find strength, meaning, and encouragement,
to study, be inspired, and derive a true sense of community.
We are well-known for our non-judgmental approach and
accessibility.
This has been very exciting for me, especially since my own
grandfather, also a rabbi, tried to do the same in Soviet Russia years
ago, but was restricted, even persecuted, for his mere practice of
faith. As anti-Semitism and communism didn't allow him to practice his
religion openly, he fled to these shores, and thankfully found a
wonderful country, the land of the free and the home of the brave,
where we can live in peace, and practice our religion freely and with
pride, without fear or danger.
But sadly, new realities are echoing the dangers of the last
generation, albeit this time not from the Government, but radicals and
prejudiced misguided citizens. And these realities are causing many
members of our community, and I know many others as well, to suddenly
feel uncomfortable and even afraid to visit our center and enjoy its
many offerings. And well beyond our own centers, I know people in
today's climate actually hesitate to openly observe our religion, to
study with us, or just to come by to get inspired.
Suddenly, we've become occupied with trying to calm people from
their immediate fears of physical threats. Each new attack on a place
of worship only exacerbates their fears.
When I decided to be a rabbi, I never envisioned that contending
with physical threats would be a part of my spiritual mission in the
USA!
Take, for example, the recent attack on Congregation Beth Israel in
Colleyville, Texas. The first reaction I heard from our community
members was: ``I'm so worried about them. My heart goes out to them.''
But the next thing I typically heard was: ``Rabbi, that could have
been us!''
Indeed, there has been a disproportionate amount of incidents at
facilities led and operated by my colleagues across the United States.
And sadly, these events keep people away from Synagogue. They make
people hesitate before bringing their kids to a place that is in truth
the healthiest place for a child. This is so unfortunate.
(This is so unfortunate, especially given the Zoom option for so
many of the events during the week which we normally have in person,
and our struggle to bring people back personally.)
Too often, people call me, and say: ``Rabbi, I just want to check
if the guard is there today, otherwise, I won't come.''
As for us in Orlando, we not only read about anti-Semitism and
hate, we, at Chabad of S Orlando, are regrettably on the front line of
these incidents with too often hate crimes, bomb threats, and more.
For example, just 2 weeks ago, in Orlando, Neo Nazis displayed
flags, Nazi paraphernalia, attacked a motorist, used pepper spray on
people and caused general security alerts.
Just a few months ago, this same group stationed themselves in
front of our own Chabad Center for 3 hours, demonstrating with
swastikas, other anti-Semitic signs and hateful speech, yelling and
cursing, including making threats on loudspeakers, all with the
sinister intention to intimidate and frighten everyone entering and
exiting our Chabad Center, including many small innocent children.
Thankfully, law enforcement arrived. We would have wished they
would send them away, but at least they were present and prevented any
harm coming to our community members.
ADL's most recent Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents in the United
States recorded more than 2,100 acts of assault, vandalism, and
harassment, an increase of 12 percent over the previous year.
Our Center has been victim to other horrible real on-line threats,
including, a series of phone threats, which have been swiftly and
efficiently dealt with thanks to the sterling work of the FBI.
Just this week, as we were trying to give out free food to families
with children, a woman who was volunteering on the car pick-up drive-
through, turned to me and said: ``Rabbi, I don't think this is safe.
Anyone can drive through here and cause harm''. Trying to reassure her,
I responded: ``You might be taking this too far. Someone can also do
harm on your way home.''
She responded: ``I'm not afraid at home. I'm afraid here.''
The United States must help its citizens be protected, so they can
practice their religion freely. Indeed, this is a cornerstone of the
founding of this great Nation.
As highly visible Jewish sites with the largest infrastructure of
synagogues and educational and social centers across the United States
(over 2,500 centers in all 50 States, more than 200 in the State of
Florida alone), the Chabad-Lubavitch movement represents and is
regularly responsible for the spiritual welfare of millions, of men,
women, and children at our sites and programs which impact and enhance
communities in cities across our Nation.
We need better security, to help us, our congregants, and the wider
community, as well as other communities around the country deter,
detect, delay, and even defend ourselves from those who wish to cause
us harm.
The NSGP grant is an amazing program, but it is a very competitive
grant, and fewer than half of applicant sites were awarded nationally
last year, in fiscal year 2021.
We did receive the grant in fiscal year 2020, then COVID hit, and
red tape has caused delays. Despite the award, we have not been able to
implement the grant. In any event, one cycle/award is not enough to
install all the physical items we need, even basically, or to cover the
cost of licensed armed security officers. We have a great team helping
us process the grant, FDEM--(The FL Dept of Emergency Management) has
been very helpful but there are too many delays from FEMA and we remain
unprotected and vulnerable as we were before the grant was awarded, a
grant for which we remain grateful.
So, to help improve this situation Nation-wide, and for all
communities, we recommend Congress consider initial partial advances of
funds to kickstart implementation of measures by approved parties.
Although it is officially a reimbursement grant, advances (as are
offered in Section E of the grant agreement) should be offered and
allowed in order to accelerate the process.
It can hardly be overemphasized how time is of the essence in this
matter and addressing it properly and effectively.
There should be solid time restrictions and scrutiny of FEMA and
FDEM response times.
And a 36-month period of performance could be shortened if advances
are not allowed.
At present, there is too much back-and-forth between FEMA and FDEM,
and not enough consistency in requirements or clarity on documentation
or format.
As the threat to houses of worship and other qualified venues
increases, so too should the funding to keep our cities and communities
safe: $180 million appropriated fiscal year 2021 by Congress was met by
$400 million in applications.
Perhaps $500 million should be appropriated to protect these sites
and ensure security for the homeland.
Additionally, it is important for local law enforcement to know
there will be resources available to them should an incident require
more response than they are prepared for under regular circumstances.
Too often, it is understood from colleagues that there has been
underwhelming response locally due to limited resources. And the
perpetrators sense the soft response, which fails to discourage them as
much as it should.
An emphasis by the Government about willingness to make resources
available to change that, complete with oversight about its
implementation, could go a long way.
I appreciate that our representatives in Washington, American
Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) maintain close contact with officials at
the Department of Homeland Security, SCN, the Conference of Presidents,
and other relevant contributors to a strong support for development and
implementation of these programs. And we, across the Nation, need this
strength now more than ever.
To quote The Rebbe again, who guided world Jewry and the post
Holocaust generation through continued threats of anti-Semitism world-
wide and fear of annihilation of Jews in Israel, and always declared
that Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people will survive and grow ever
stronger and our trust in G-d is to remain steadfast:
Standing with the anticipation for a brighter era of world peace,
the Biblical promised time of redemption and tranquility, he said, we
must stand proud and strong and continue to be the shining light and
moral compass for the world around us.
And he repeatedly implored the Government of the United States,
built on the principles of faith, trust in G-d and justice, to stand by
our side and the side of all its citizens to secure our rights to live
in peace and without any fear of those who wish for our demise.
I stand here today as a representative of every Jew and shoulder to
shoulder with every peace-loving citizen of this great Nation to urge
our leaders, our Government and its agencies to significantly increase
its efforts and do everything in its power to secure our safety and our
freedom so that we may continue to be a light to the nations in
tranquility and in peace.
We hope to live in peace, as written in the Bible (Kings 1, 5:5), a
passage quoted by our founding president George Washington to the early
Jewish community in the United States, ``Each shall live under his vine
and fig tree and no man shall be afraid''.
I eagerly await the fulfillment of the prophecy when ``Nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, and the world will know war no
more.'' A time when there will be no hatred nor jealousy. ``And the
world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d'', speedily in our days.
Thank you for your time, and for allowing me to share my thoughts
and suggestions.
Chairwoman Demings. Thank you so much, Rabbi Konikov, for
your testimony. Without objection, the flyer that you presented
will be entered into the record.
[The information follows:]
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Chairwoman Demings. I now recognize Congressman Fingerhut
to summarize his statement for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF ERIC FINGERHUT, PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE JEWISH
FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA AND FORMER MEMBER OF CONGRESS
Mr. Fingerhut. Thank you. Chair Demings, Ranking Member
Cammack, Chair Slotkin, Ranking Member Pfluger, Members of the
esteemed subcommittees, full Chair Chairman Thompson, and all
the distinguished Members, it is indeed a privilege to be back
in the U.S. House of Representatives. Thank you for convening
this morning's hearings.
As Chair Demings mentioned, I am a former Member of
Congress. I also served 10 years in the Ohio Senate. I also had
the privilege of serving as chancellor of Ohio's Public
University System. I mention that because I had the
responsibility of chairing a State-wide task force on campus
security after the shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007. I now
serve as president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North
America, which is the umbrella organization for 146 Jewish
Federations and over 300 smaller networked Jewish communities.
Now, I know that the distinguished Members of this
committee are familiar with the work of Jewish Federations and
with our volunteer and professional leadership in their
respective communities. We thank you for the many ways in which
you have supported and enhanced our mission across the full
spectrum of communal life.
Security has always been a core concern of our Jewish
Federations. The ability and confidence of our community to
participate fully in Jewish religious and cultural life depends
on feeling safe, as both Rabbi Cytron-Walker and Rabbi Konikov
have both beautifully stated.
Now, it is important for me to say that no nation in
history has a better record of safety and inclusion for its
Jewish community than the United States of America. A fact that
we in the Jewish communal leadership never forget, not for a
single moment. But nevertheless, we Americans are not immune to
the viruses of hate that are dramatically on the rise at this
very moment at home and abroad.
The committee Members in your Statements spoke of the
increased violent attacks on faith-based institutions. But my
dear colleagues, these are not statistics. Let me name some of
them: The 2006 deadly attack at the Jewish Federation of
Greater Seattle; the 2009 deadly attack on the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum; the 2012 deadly attack on the Sikh
Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; the 2004 deadly attack on the
Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas; the 2015
deadly attack on the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
in Charleston; the 2018 deadly attack on the Tree of Life
Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and the 2019 deadly
attack on the Chabad Synagogue in Poway, California.
Since the attacks on the Tree of Life Synagogue building in
2018, September, we have experienced the most intense period of
violent attacks on Jews in the history of this country, from
Pittsburgh to Poway to Monsey to Jersey City to Denver to
Boston to Brooklyn, and now to Colleyville.
Esteemed Representatives, this is a moment of crisis,
unique crisis, for the Jewish community in America. We
respectfully, but urgently, ask you to respond to help and
encourage the Congress to respond in full.
Now, it is, of course, the responsibility of Government to
keep all its citizens safe in their places of worship and other
spaces or gathering. But I want you to know that we in the
Jewish Federations have also accepted the collective communal
responsibility to ensure that all Jewish organizations are
fully protected. We have raised and will continue to raise
significant philanthropic funding for security work, but the
resources needed are vast and ever-increasing.
Now, we have focused our effects on two major areas. First,
on providing expert professional security guidance to every
community throughout our system. As we grow these initiatives,
they will also help address the concerns with smaller
communities, as Rabbi Cytron-Walker mentioned in his testimony.
Second, we focus on ensuring the physical security of our
institutions and enhancing their preparedness posture against
future attacks. In 2004, JFNA helped create the Secure
Community Network, and you are going to hear from Michael
Masters next, and proposed and worked with Congress to create
this Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Both of these
are now crucial pillars of the safety and security of the
Jewish community across the United States.
Now, you will hear from my colleague, Michael Masters, the
CEO of SCN, so you don't need to hear from me the important
role that SCN plays, partnering with Jewish Federations and
organizing local community security initiatives. Forty-five of
the 146 Jewish communities now have such organized initiatives
that have been created in partnership with SCN. Today, JFNA is
working with SCN to extend this umbrella over every Jewish
community throughout the United States through our LiveSecure
campaign, which is one of the largest philanthropic initiatives
in our history. Unfortunately, even with this extensive
funding, an additional infusion of significant Governmental
resources is necessary to achieve the level of security that we
desperately need.
Now, as Members of the committee and my fellow witnesses
have all mentioned, the FEMA Nonprofit Security Grant Program
is that essential public-private partnership. We are so
grateful for its resources and for the past support, but it is
not without its challenges others have noted. I want to make
five quick points and suggestions for improvement.
First, of course, is the funding level, which has been
referred to. There are somewhere between 350,000 and 400,000
houses of worship in the United States and about another 1.2
million registered nonprofits, all of them could be potentially
eligible for this program. Even if only 1 percent of these
organizations know about and apply for the program in a given
cycle, the FEMA and the local State authorities would be
inundated with something like 15,000 applications, 5 times as
many applications as applied in fiscal year 2021. As we have
shared with you, based on our experience and best information,
we believe that full funding would increase the total, the
current total, to $360 million.
Second, the program lacks sufficient management and
administrative support. While the program has quadrupled in
size since 2018 and is now the third-largest FEMA preparedness
grant program by volume, FEMA and the State Administrative
Agencies struggle to keep up with the necessary administrative
oversight and infrastructure to carry out their duties. We
support Congress allowing the NSGP Program Office to use some
of the funds to cover their management and administrative
costs.
I understand my time is up. The third quick point is that
the program lacks resources to assist nonprofits as they go
through the application process. We encourage use of the funds
for this purpose as well.
Fourth, we encourage the NSG Program to be waived from the
requirement of the Paperwork Requirements Act, so that they can
more quickly adapt the program.
Finally, they lack the statutory authority to fully respond
to today's increasingly complex, diffuse, and dynamic threat
landscape. We urge the Congress to include appropriations
language allowing FEMA to include hate and grievance-based
crimes based on the ideology, belief, and mission of the
applicant.
I thank you for holding this important hearing, for
indulging my testimony, and I welcome any questions that you
may have.
[The prepared statement of Hon. Fingerhut follows:]
Prepared Statement of Eric Fingerhut
February 8, 2022
Chair Demings, Ranking Member Cammack, Chair Slotkin, Ranking
Member Pfluger, and Members of the esteemed Subcommittees on Emergency
Preparedness, Response, and Recovery and on Intelligence and
Counterterrorism, thank you for convening this morning's hearing on
protecting faith-based and charitable communities from terrorist and
terroristic threats and the Jewish communal response.
My name is Eric Fingerhut. I am a former Member of Congress from
Ohio. I now serve as president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of
North America, the umbrella organization for 146 Jewish Federations and
over 300 smaller ``networked'' communities. The Jewish Federation
system represents and speaks for essentially every organized Jewish
community in the United States.
Jewish Federations are the engines that build and sustain
flourishing Jewish communities--by helping them remain healthy, safe,
caring, welcoming and inclusive, educated and engaged, involved in
their broader communities, and connected to Israel and the global
Jewish people. To accomplish this sacred work, we raise the necessary
funds to support social services, educational and cultural programming
of all kinds, and we are proud to partner with our local, State, and
Federal representatives to help meet the vital needs of our Jewish
communities and their neighbors. Collectively, our system is one of the
ten largest philanthropic bodies in the United States.
We are strong and present advocates on the national, State, and
local levels. We know that the distinguished Members of this committee
are familiar with the work of the Jewish Federations and with our
volunteer and professional leadership in your respective States. We
thank you for the many ways in which you have supported and enhanced
our mission across the full spectrum of communal life.
Security has always been a core concern of Jewish Federations and
in the present climate, a central tenet of our work. We know that the
ability and confidence of our community to participate fully in Jewish
religious and cultural life depends on feeling safe--safe to attend
synagogue, safe to drop our children off at the Jewish Community Center
for pre-school or day camp, safe to walk down the street wearing
visibly Jewish head coverings and clothing, safe to gather in groups to
celebrate, to mourn, to support our brothers and sisters in the State
of Israel, and to be active in the life of our communities, our
campuses, and our civic associations.
The United States of America has historically been the most
welcoming nation in history with respect to the protection and safety
of the Jewish people. Nevertheless, we Americans are not immune to the
viruses of hate that remain in the world, and that are dramatically on
the rise at this very moment at home and abroad. We are so grateful
that your subcommittees are meeting this morning to assess the complex,
diffuse, and dynamic impact of terrorism on the American Jewish
community and the lessons we can share to help protect other at-risk
communities, and that you are cognizant of the crucial importance of
strong and capable Federal support to better secure places of worship
and the entire at-risk charitable sector from targeted acts of
violence.
At a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs Committee more than 20 years ago, we first shared our
perspectives on how Congress could direct and coordinate Federal
resources and expertise to local communities in the wake of 9/11. The
September 11 attacks were an abrupt wake-up call for our entire
country. We in the Jewish community became acutely and frighteningly
aware that our own institutions were vulnerable and at-risk, based on
the anti-Semitic rhetoric of those who committed those attacks.
As the recent armed hostage crisis at the Congregation Beth Israel
synagogue in Colleyville, Texas underscored, in the 20 years since the
9/11 attacks, the terrorism landscape for faith-based institutions has
become significantly more complicated and challenging. We now need to
defend ourselves against multiple fronts: Foreign terrorist
organizations, home-grown violent extremists, and domestic violent
extremists. These actors, while motivated by disparate ideologies of
hate, share common cause in their violent anti-Semitism. As you are
well aware, extremism of all kinds is spiking across the country,
manifesting in bombings and bomb threats, arsons, assaults,
intimidation, trespass, and property damage. The consequences are
increasingly deadly.
The attack on Colleyville is not just another statistic to us.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker will obviously share his harrowing experience. The
event is reminiscent, in all the most horrifying ways, of the 2006
deadly attack at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, the 2009
deadly attack on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the 2012
deadly attack on the Sikh Temple of (Oak Creek) Wisconsin, the 2014
deadly attack on the Jewish Community Center and retirement community
in Overland Park, Kansas, the 2015 deadly attack on the Emanuel African
Methodist Episcopal Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, the 2018
deadly attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and the 2019 deadly attack on the Congregation Chabad in
Poway, California. In recent weeks, HBCUs have been subjected to a
series of bomb threats and harassment. And even as law enforcement and
counterterrorism agencies strive to identify and respond to incidents
before they occur, they know that the next strike could happen
anywhere, and often without any advance warning whatsoever.
The significance of the armed stand-off at Congregation Beth Israel
reverberated throughout every Jewish community across the country.
While attacks on faith institutions are not only the experience of the
Jewish community, as I have noted, it is nevertheless the case that,
since the attacks on the Tree of Life synagogue building in September
2018, we have experienced the most intense period of violent attacks on
Jews in the history of this country--from Pittsburgh to Poway to Monsey
to Jersey City to Denver to Boston to Brooklyn and now to Colleyville.
This is a crisis moment for our community.
After 9/11, the United States went on the offense against
terrorists around the world. But we also built a homeland security
infrastructure that has protected us from those who take steps to plan
attacks here at home. Similarly, the Jewish community must do two
things to respond to this wave of violence. We must fight anti-Semitism
in all its forms, wherever it appears. But we must also urgently build
the security infrastructure that will prevent those who plan violent
attacks from succeeding.
It is, of course, the responsibility of Government to keep all its
citizens safe in their places of worship and other spaces for
gathering. But we also have accepted the collective communal
responsibility to ensure that all Jewish organizations are fully
protected. While we have raised and will continue to raise significant
philanthropic funding, the resources needed are vast and ever-
increasing. We need governmental support to fill the gap. Individual
synagogues, JCCs, Hillels, Family Services Agencies, Hebrew Homes, day
schools, and pre-schools are all increasingly vulnerable, and their
ability to detect, deter, mitigate, and recover from these attacks
cannot fall on their shoulders alone.
The Jewish Federations of North America has been a crucial catalyst
and coordinating body to bring about a needed shift in the Jewish
community's security posture and to offer assistance, advice, and
advocacy to other faith and cultural groups who are also at heightened
risk of attack. We have focused on two major areas: (1) Providing
expert professional security guidance throughout our system, and (2)
Ensuring the physical security of our institutions and enhancing their
preparedness posture against future attacks. In 2004, JFNA created the
Secure Community Network (SCN) and proposed and worked with Congress to
create the Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Both are
now crucial pillars of safety and security in the Jewish community.
secure community network
SCN serves as the central organization dedicated exclusively to the
safety and security of the American Jewish community. It works in
tandem with the Jewish Federations in organizing local Community
Security Initiatives, led by experienced and trained local Community
Security Directors, that are designed to create a comprehensive and
best practices-based security plan for each of the synagogues and other
Jewish institutions in their communities. SCN also partners with and
serves as the community's formal liaison with Federal law enforcement,
as well as with State and local law enforcement partners.
SCN's security experts perform an extensive review of each
community's security infrastructure and protocols, pinpoint areas of
vulnerability, and offer detailed recommendations for enhancements. SCN
also provides on-going, extensive, state-of-the-art training to the
growing body of Community Security Directors to make sure that they are
well-qualified, that they are working in coordination with local,
State, and Federal law enforcement, and they are fully cognizant of new
trends and developments that could put a community and its residents in
imminent danger.
Today, JFNA is working with SCN to extend an overarching,
centralized, coordinated security umbrella over every Jewish community
throughout the country through our LiveSecure campaign. It is our
contribution to the public-private partnership for protecting
communities by raising one of the largest privately-funded initiatives
in our history. Unfortunately, even with this extensive fundraising, an
additional infusion of significant governmental resources is necessary
to achieve the level of security that we desperately need.
Right now, the Jewish community has an umbrella that is filled with
holes. Those seeking to do harm to Jews will target those communities
that are under-resourced and under-prepared. It is critical that we
have the funds to protect all members of the Jewish community, no
matter where they live. FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program
provides that essential public-private partnership to extend what we
are already doing for ourselves and for what we expect will be growing
interest in and demand for NSGP resources from other communities that
are coping with their own threats.
nonprofit security grant program
Administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal
Emergency Management Agency, the NSGP program supports the acquisition
and installation of physical target hardening measures such as access
controls, barriers, blast-proofing, monitoring and surveillance
capability, and cybersecurity enhancements. It supports preparedness
and prevention planning, training, exercises, and contributes toward
the needs for contracted security personnel. It also provides a
critical foundation for the nonprofit sector to build relationships and
partnerships with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies
around the whole community approach to homeland security.
The NSGP program is critically important; however, it is not
without its challenges and need for improvement.
Simply put, the program lacks sufficient annual appropriations.--In
its 17 years, the program has supported more than 6,500 grants, but
been unable to fund an additional 11,000 grant requests that were
submitted. Congress has appropriated nearly $600 million in security
investments, but that is a fraction of the nearly $1.5 billion in
investments that have been requested. In the most recent fiscal year
(2021), FEMA approved only about 45 percent of the more than 3,300
applications it reviewed and was able to fund only $180 million in
security investments out of the nearly $400 million that were sought.
Recommendation: Congress must stabilize NSGP funding at appropriate
levels on an annual basis. And we have respectfully called on Congress
to appropriate $360 million.
The program lacks sufficient management and administrative
support.--While the program has quadrupled in size since 2018 and is
now the third-largest FEMA preparedness grant program by volume, FEMA
and the State Administrative Agencies struggle to keep up with the
necessary administrative oversight and infrastructure to carry out
their duties to the program. They are over-extended and under-
resourced, which undermines the application review and oversight
processes and challenges the capacity of FEMA and the SAAs workforce to
coordinate the NSGP program in an efficient and effective way.
Recommendation: We support Congress allowing the NSGP Program Office
located within FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate and the State
Administrative Agencies to each withhold up to 5 percent of the NSGP
awards to cover their management and administrative costs.
The program lacks resources to assist nonprofits as they go through
the complicated NSGP application process.--JFNA has worked for years to
help address the challenges nonprofit agencies face in navigating the
NSGP application process and partners with SCN to disseminate
comprehensive written guidance, tools, and webinars to assist both the
Jewish community and other communities with elevated risks. Still, more
nonprofits need to learn about the program and have access to good
resources and technical assistance to meaningfully participate in and
benefit from the program. If they cannot navigate the process, they are
unlikely to be successful in their application, or even apply at all.
Recommendation: We support Congress allowing the NSGP Program Office
located within FEMA's Grant Programs Directorate to withhold up to 5
percent of the NSGP awards to support outreach, education, and
technical assist to nonprofits in applying for and implementing the
program.
Additionally, FEMA needs to be able to quickly provide viable
application tools to the NSGP nonprofit sub-applicants to ease and
streamline the application process. Under current Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) requirements, it can take years for FEMA to receive approval
even to make basic changes to the NSGP application template (Investment
Justification). This has become a major issue as the program has
expanded to thousands of participants annually.
Recommendation: Congress should provide FEMA with a waiver of the PRA
requirements for fiscal year 2022 and future years.
The program lacks statutory authority to respond to today's
increasingly complex, diffuse, and dynamic threat landscape. Just after
the attack on Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, FBI Director
Christopher Wray remarked that the Jewish community faces very real
threats from across a complex spectrum of hate that includes home-grown
violent extremists (often radicalized by Jihadist movements on-line),
foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS and Hezbollah, state-
sponsored groups like the government of Iran, and domestic violent
extremists such as neo-Nazis and White supremacists. However, the
statutes guiding DHS preparedness programs respond to ``risk of
terrorist attack.'' This does not include hate- or grievance-based
crimes, even as ethnically- and racially-motivated extremism is now
surging. In fact, the Colleyville attack may be the first actual
terrorist attack against a faith-based institution in the United
States, based on what the statutes actually provide. Today's evolving
threats require an NSGP program that is a measure against both
terrorist and terroristic attacks. While FEMA has to a commendable
extent applied flexibility in its interpretation and application of the
law to NSGP, today's homeland security laws do not include domestic
violent extremism as terrorism. The types of threats extend beyond the
recourse of the NSGP program, and this needs to change.
Recommendation: Short of an unlikely change in statute, Congress should
include appropriations report language allowing FEMA to include hate-
and grievance based-crimes based on the ideology, belief, and mission
of the applicant.
Since we first addressed the Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee in December 2001 on ``The Role
Communities Play in Homeland Security,'' Congress has maintained strong
bipartisan support to address the homeland security concerns of faith-
based organizations and the charitable sector. This has been especially
true of the NSGP program, which has been described as an efficient and
effective means to accomplish community-based security enhancement and
preparedness through very modest resources. Only this past week, 174
members of the House joined on a bipartisan letter to appropriations
leaders, urging them to ensure strong funding to the Nonprofit Security
Grant Program in the upcoming fiscal year 2022 Homeland Security
appropriations package. That is a remarkable level of support.
For these reasons, we thank you for holding this hearing to discuss
the implications of the dynamic terrorism landscape on the American
Jewish Community and the importance of strengthening Federal support to
make our institutions and the communities they serve more secure. I
welcome any questions you may have.
Chairwoman Demings. Thank you so much, Congressman
Fingerhut, for your testimony. Now we will recognize Mr.
Masters to summarize his statement for 5 minutes.
STATEMENT OF MICHAEL MASTERS, NATIONAL DIRECTOR AND CEO, SECURE
COMMUNITY NETWORK
Mr. Masters. Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman Slotkin,
Ranking Member Cammack, Ranking Member Pfluger, Chairman
Thompson, and Ranking Member Katko of the full committee,
distinguished Members of the subcommittees, while the United
States remains one of the safest places in the world for our
community, we must make no mistake: America's Jewish community
is under attack. Thank you all for taking action to stop it.
I am Michael Masters, CEO and national director of the
Secure Community Network, or SCN. It is an honor to appear
before you again.
SCN is the official safety and security organization of the
Jewish community in North America. We work on behalf of and
with the Jewish Federations of North America and my colleague,
Eric Fingerhut, under his leadership, and the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, collectively
representing over 90 percent of the Jewish community across
North America.
SCN's the Jewish community's official liaison with Federal
law enforcement, notably the FBI and DHS. Every day we are
sharing intelligence with law enforcement and community
partners, developing best practice safety policies, undertaking
facility assessments, conducting life-saving training, and
responding to incidents. We have worked with Jewish
organizations in each and every one of your home States.
To help us protect Jewish lives and those of all faiths we
are counting on all of you to support the funding desperately
needed to help protect our community. It is critical for your
subcommittees to understand that August 22, 2021, was a day
that helped to save lives. That was the day that SCN worked
with the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth in Tarrant County to
lead a training at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville,
Texas. SCN worked with Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and
congregants on how to recognize suspicious behavior and what to
do during an active threat situation.
Let me just say how honored I am, how moved I am to be
participating in this hearing with Rabbi Charlie. We teach
people in our trainings to commit to action. This is what the
rabbi and other hostages did on that horrendous day.
Thanks to the efforts of law enforcement and the work that
we did at SCN with the community, made possible by the
Federation and its system, but, most importantly, the actions
of the rabbi and other hostages, we are able to talk today
about what we know saves lives.
Our job at SCN is to secure our communities so that the
Jewish people can pray, celebrate, and gather in safety. SCN is
a nonprofit organization. We are not volunteers or private
contractors. We are security professionals whose full-time job
is to serve the community. I personally served in multiple law
enforcement and homeland security roles: A police officer
trained in special weapons and tactics and a commissioned
officer in the United States Marine Corps.
As a security expert, informed by my personal experience, I
can attest without equivocation that FEMA's Nonprofit Security
Grant Program, or NSGP, has placed the faith-based community in
a better position to stay alive. The NSGP grants that you vote
to fund provide bulletproof doors, shatterproof glass, secure
entry systems, and so much more, like some of the cameras that
were used by law enforcement on January 15.
Thanks to recent changes it is now protecting more
communities, places like Charleston and Charlottesville. NSGP
funds can now be used to support training, just like the
training that SCN provided in Colleyville. As we have heard,
the training can literally be the difference between life and
death.
All of this means that more Americans of all faiths can
worship and gather in peace. We need to expand these efforts
and opportunities.
The Jewish liturgy teaches us to welcome the stranger, as
Rabbi Charlie noted. We have to ensure that our institutions
remain open and welcoming, balancing the diverse needs and
diversity of our community, while being safe and secure.
Comprehensive best practice approaches to security allow for
that.
The NSGP is a vital part of our efforts at SCN and our
Federation system, supporting our work and our open, free
practice of religion. We know the demand for NSGP funds far
outpaces what is available. Any additional fund Congress
appropriates will allow us to protect more institutions and
communities, and this is critical.
As we have heard, the Jewish community is the No. 1 target
of religiously-motivated hate crimes in the United States. The
National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin issued yesterday by
DHS, referenced by Chairwoman Slotkin, highlights the continued
threat environment across our country. It specifically
references the on-going calls for violence directed at soft
targets, mass gatherings, and faith-based institutions to
include churches, synagogues, and mosques.
We see the reality of this in our work at SCN every day. In
2021, SCN's Jewish Security Operations Command Center, or
JSOCC, took in over 11,000 incident requests and reports of
threats. We referred hundreds of items to law enforcement.
The attack on January 15 in Colleyville was just the latest
example of the threat that our community faces and it is a
stark reminder, also, of why this hearing is so important. We
learned from Talmud we don't rely on miracles. But as
Chairwoman Slotkin noted, we are not powerless.
Last year, SCN trained over 17,000 members of the Jewish
community. In just the last 4 weeks, we have trained over
12,000.
There is a lesson to be learned from Colleyville. We will
not choose the time and place of the next incident, but we can
choose our preparations. Thankfully, as Rabbi Charlie noted,
Congregation Beth Israel worked long and hard to prepare, but
there are too many facilities and too many members of our
community who have not yet been reached.
Every Jewish facility in America has to be prepared. Every
member of our faith-based community must be trained. Our
efforts must be professional, specific, and on-going, just like
we do with fire drills. This is what the Jewish community, led
by JFNA as Eric Fingerhut and I have outlined, and SCN are
working to do.
We are not doing the work alone. Congress plays a critical
role by funding the NSGP.
In closing, no one in this country should ever question
whether it is safe to walk into a religious institution. I
quote Ranking Member Pfluger, an attack on any religious
institution is an attack on all of us.
The NSGP has assisted in mitigating the threat, but there
is a lot more work to do and we don't have time to lose.
Several weeks ago, we saw the impact. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-
Walker and his congregants showed us by example the difference
committing to action can make. Let us honor them and their
efforts by being as committed.
Thank you for inviting me to testify. I am happy to take
your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Masters follows:]
Prepared Statement of Michael G. Masters
Tuesday, 08 February 2022
overview
Chairwoman Demings, Chairwoman Slotkin, Ranking Member Cammack,
Ranking Member Pfluger, distinguished Members of the subcommittees:
America's Jewish community is under attack. Thank you for taking action
to stop it.
I am Michael Masters, CEO and national director of the Secure
Community Network, or SCN. It is an honor to appear before you to
participate in this hearing.
SCN is the official safety and security organization of the Jewish
community in North America. I have spent close to 20 years serving in
the military, law enforcement, and homeland security. Today, I dedicate
myself to serving and protecting the Jewish community.
It is a community that is under threat.
To help us protect Jewish lives, and those of all faiths, we are
counting on you--the Members of these 2 subcommittees--to support the
funding desperately needed to prevent further assaults and to train
people on what to do in case of an attack.
Without you, the faith-based community would be in even greater
danger.
SCN works on behalf of and with The Jewish Federations of North
America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, covering over 50 national non-profit organizations,\1\
146 Jewish Federations, and over 300 independent Jewish communities,\2\
collectively representing over 90 percent of the Jewish community
across North America. We have addressed threats impacting, worked in,
and responded to incidents in many of your Congressional districts,
including across Florida, Michigan, and--of course--Texas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ ``Member Organizations,'' Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations, accessed January 6, 2020, https://
www.conferenceofpresidents.org/about/members.
\2\ ``About The Jewish Federations of North America,'' The Jewish
Federations of North America, accessed January 6, 2020, https://
jewishfederations.org/about-jfna.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We are the Jewish community's official liaison with Federal law
enforcement, particularly the FBI and DHS. Every day, our team is
sharing intelligence and information with local, State, and Federal law
enforcement and community partners, developing and helping Jewish
community institutions implement best practice safety policies,
providing assessments of Jewish facilities, consulting on physical
security measures, conducting life-saving training and exercises, and--
unfortunately--responding to incidents.
It is critical for your subcommittees to understand that August 22,
2021, was a day that helped save lives.
That was the day that SCN worked with the Jewish Federation of Fort
Worth & Tarrant County to lead a training exercise at Congregation Beth
Israel in Colleyville, Texas. It was attended by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-
Walker and 21 congregants.
SCN worked with the Rabbi and congregants on how to recognize
suspicious behavior and activity, as well as what to do during an
active threat situation: To ``Commit to Action.''
While we provided the training, the Rabbi and other members of the
congregation did the hard work, particularly on January 15.
Let me just say how honored I am--how moved I am--to be
participating in this hearing with Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker. We
teach people in our trainings to Commit to Action. This is what the
Rabbi and other hostages did throughout that horrendous day, and
certainly when he and the other two hostages positioned themselves near
a door, and when he threw a chair at the terrorist who had taken them
hostage--providing critical moments to escape.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement, the work that
we at SCN did with the community, but, most importantly, the actions of
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and the other hostages--their calm,
courageous, and coordinated efforts--we are able to talk today about
what we know works. What we know saves lives. This is what SCN is
teaching around the country.
Our job is to secure our community so that the Jewish people can
pray, celebrate, and gather in safety.
SCN is a nonprofit organization supported by a network of generous
private donors and partners. Our team of former intelligence, law
enforcement, security, and military personnel are not volunteers or
private contractors. We are security professionals whose full-time job
is to serve the Jewish community--supporting communities around the
country and through our Federation system as well as with National
partners.
I have personally served in several law enforcement and homeland
security roles: A police officer trained in special weapons and tactics
and a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps. I
previously served as the chief of staff of the Chicago Police
Department and as the executive director of the Department of Homeland
Security for Cook County, Illinois. I previously served as the co-chair
of the Secretary of DHS's Non-disaster Preparedness Grant Review Task
Force.
As a security expert informed by my personal experience, I can
attest--without equivocation--that FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant
Program, or NSGP, has placed the nonprofit, faith-based community in a
better position to stay alive. The NSGP grants that you vote to fund
every year provide bulletproof doors, shatterproof glass, secure entry
systems, panic buttons, and so much more. You also help make the
delivery of our life-saving training programs possible.
This means that more Americans--regardless of faith--can worship
and gather in peace.
Security in our houses of worship is critical not just for the
physical protection of the faith community but also for the very
preservation of religious freedom in this Nation. We all must feel safe
to freely exercise our faith.
The Jewish liturgy teaches us to welcome the stranger. We know,
given current conditions, that we must do that in a manner which is
also safe and secure, balancing the diverse needs--and diversity--of
our community. We must ensure that our faith institutions remain open
and welcoming, while being safe and secure, from our schools and senior
centers to our camps, community centers, and college campuses.
We do not want the United States to become--like too many
countries--a location where our faith institutions look like military
fortresses. To put it simply, that is not who we are as Americans, nor
should we allow it to be.
Comprehensive, best practice approaches to security--like those SCN
implements with Jewish Federations and other partners across the
country--allow for that. The NSGP is a vital part of our efforts,
supporting our work and the open, free practice of religion in this
society. We know the demand for NSGP funds far outpaces available
funds. Any additional funds Congress decides to appropriate will enable
the good work that is already being done to reach more communities.
threat picture
In coordination with our partners in local, State, and Federal law
enforcement, we assess that the threats facing the Jewish community are
more complex and dynamic than at any other time in the Nation's
history. At their core, they derive from an evil that is thousands of
years old: Anti-Semitism.
The Jewish community not only remains the No. 1 target of
religiously-motivated hate crimes, but we have seen a rise in these
events to near-historic levels, as well as increases in anti-Semitic
incidents across the Nation.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ ``Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents: Year in Review 2018,'' The
Anti-Defamation League, accessed January 6, 2020, https://www.adl.org/
audit2018.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The number of U.S. domestic terrorism cases under investigation by
the FBI more than doubled in 2021 from the year prior, with the FBI
having roughly 2,700 open domestic terrorism investigations. To meet
the evolving threat, the FBI has surged resources, increasing personnel
working on these issues by 260 percent.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Wolfe, Jan, ``U.S. domestic terrorism investigations have more
than doubled--FBI director,'' Reuters.com, https://www.reuters.com/
legal/government/us-domestic-terrorism-investigations-have-more-than-
doubled-fbi-director-2021-09-21/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
As law enforcement has increased its efforts, in this environment,
we must do all we can to ensure that our institutions and communities
of faith are protected.
We see that in our work at SCN every day.
During 2021, SCN's Duty Desk, which is staffed by a team of
intelligence analysts and is part of our National Jewish Security
Operations Command Center, or JSOCC, took in over 11,000 incidents,
requests, and reports--ranging from suspicious individuals to threats.
We referred hundreds of items to local, State, and Federal law
enforcement, to include 79 referrals to the FBI.
Just in the last week, our JSOCC identified two individuals who
were threatening to attack synagogues, and kill Jews. Both leads were
immediately passed to law enforcement. This is going on every hour of
every day. SCN is constantly receiving and quickly sharing threat
information with our partners in law enforcement for their analysis and
action.
The attack on January 15 in Colleyville, Texas was just the latest
example of the threat that our community faces. But it was also the
latest example that we know how to improve the safety of congregants,
and a stark reminder of why this hearing is so important.
addressing the threats
Safety and security are priorities for the Jewish community. To
address this, SCN was created to work on behalf of the Jewish
community. We are working to build a protective, proactive shield over
the North American Jewish community, in coordination with local
Federations and our National partners. We ensure that solutions are
tailored to each community or partner and rooted in consistent best
practices across the community.
We learn from the Talmud, we don't rely on miracles. We hope for
them, we pray for them, but we don't rely on them.
We are not powerless.
Last year, SCN trained over 17,000 members of the Jewish
community--two of whom were Rabbi Cytron-Walker and one of the other
hostages. The training in Colleyville--from its development to our
delivery--occurred because we came together--SCN, the Jewish
Federation, local law enforcement, and--most importantly--the
community, to prepare. We--collectively--committed to action.
Our work did not occur just on one day, either. The training on
August 22 was one of a series that SCN provided to organizations in
Tarrant County, and part of our efforts that also included assessments
of synagogues and consultation on physical security.
There is a lesson to be learned from Colleyville.
While we will not choose the time and place of the next incident,
we can choose our preparation.
This is what the members of that community did. It is what the
Rabbi and his congregants did, and they are alive today.
Every Jewish facility in America must be trained. Every member of
our community must be trained. This is true for the entirety of the
faith community in America. But not just any training will do. The
training must be professional. It must be detailed. It must be on-
going. Just like we do with fire safety in our schools and workplaces.
Thankfully, SCN and others, to include law enforcement, conducted
training at Congregation Beth Israel, but there are too many facilities
and too many members of our community who have not yet been reached. We
want to make our life-saving trainings available to every member of the
Jewish community in North America.
This is a priority for our community, and we purposefully work to
extend that shield to every community, and to enhance those communities
with existing security--most notably through a collaboration led by The
Jewish Federations of North America and supported by SCN.
But we are not doing the work alone. In addition to the on-going
and committed support that we receive from law enforcement at all
levels--with special recognition to the FBI and our public safety
partners at DHS--Congress plays a critical role by funding FEMA's
Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
We are thankful to each of you for your support of the work we are
doing. We need each of you . . . and the multi-faith community needs
your support now more than ever.
impact of the non-profit security grant program (nsgp)
When SCN creates a Community Security Initiative in a community,
most often in partnership with the Jewish Federation, we implement a
comprehensive, strategic security framework. As a result, we see a 400
percent increase in the number of assessments done for our community.
These are assessments done by security professionals with backgrounds
in law enforcement, and they are supported by our team at SCN.
These assessments are used by the local organizations to inform
their application for NSGP funds. Working with the community, SCN's
approach has resulted in a 36 percent increase in the number of
successful NSGP applicants in the first year of a Community Security
Initiative.
NSGP funding has made our community more safe and secure. It has
placed electronic locks on exterior doors of Jewish community centers,
panic buttons in school classrooms, and cameras on synagogues--to
include at least one of the cameras that was operating at Congregation
Beth Israel in Colleyville, which provided vital information to law
enforcement during the incident.
It also ensures that all of our institutions--from Charlottesville
to Colleyville--can avail themselves of security best practices,
including verified physical security solutions.
Each week, we work with communities and law enforcement around the
country as they deal with suspicious individuals attempting to gain
access to facilities, vandals defacing houses of worship with symbols
of hate, and bomb threats to community centers.
In each of these cases, equipment like that which is made possible
by the NSGP protects our community.
NSGP funding is now protecting more communities in more places.
Recent changes to the program allow organizations in non-urban areas to
take better advantage of the program. This was critically important, as
the threat picture facing our country has changed. We see that from
attacks in Overland Park, Kansas and Charlottesville, Virginia, to
Charleston, South Carolina, and Colleyville, Texas.
NSGP funds can now be used to support planning, exercises, and
training for everyday community members--just like the training SCN
provided in Colleyville. Training that can help save lives. For
organizations that could not independently support such training this
can literally be the difference between life and death.
Every day we are working to build relationships between our
community and law enforcement. The NSGP is a component of this,
fostering critical cooperation and engagement.
Finally, and importantly, I am deeply appreciative of your efforts
to increase funds for this program. We are pleased that Congress
increased the funding to $180 million from $90 million last year. Yet
despite the increase, I understand that requests for NSGP funding from
organizations around the country approached $400 million last year. To
meet the need, Congress needs to consider further substantial increases
in appropriations.
closing
From attacks in Pittsburgh and Poway to Charlottesville and
Colleyville, the Jewish way of life in the United States of America is
under attack.
In each of these attacks, SCN's team was responding.
What is required is a whole-community response, including
professional security assessments, validated best practices, and
training. An attack on any religious institution in this country--
regardless of size, location, or affiliation--is an attack on all of
us.
No one in this country should ever question whether it is safe to
walk into a religious institution.
The NSGP and related efforts have assisted in reducing the threat
and providing peace of mind. But there is much more work to do, and we
do not have time to lose.
Several weeks ago, we saw the impact: We see it here today in Rabbi
Charlie Cytron-Walker's presence. He and his congregants remained calm.
They committed to action. They have shown us by example the difference
it can make. Let us honor them and their efforts by being as committed.
Thank you for inviting me to testify today, and thank you for your
bipartisan recognition of the importance of improving security and
preparedness of the Jewish community. I am happy to take your
questions.
Chairwoman Demings. I want to thank Mr. Masters for his
testimony, and all of our witnesses. I will remind the
subcommittees that we will each have 5 minutes for questions
from the panel. Also, one of our witnesses has a hard stop at
noon, and so we want to be cognizant of that and get to each
Member that is on the call.
I will recognize myself for 5 minutes or less.
Rabbi Konikov, recently, as we have already discussed, we
have seen the rise in anti-Semitism on display in Florida. We
have talked about the demonstration from the neo-Nazis in the
place where you and I both call home.
Could you just give me kind-of a quick overview of your
views on the current threat environment? We know what we saw.
This is 2 weeks ago, but what are your views on the current
threat environment?
Rabbi Konikov. Well, you know, I will tell you. There are,
in my opinion, there are people that, unfortunately, have
hateful views. Sometimes some of these groups that come out and
make statements and do demonstrations in the streets, it
actually brings out or brings to the surface some of those we
will call them crazies or hateful people, and that increases
the danger.
We happened to see when that group was in front of our
Center, they had a sign that said, ``If you agree with us, honk
your horn.'' That was very disturbing to me. You know, thank
God most people didn't honk their horn. But every once in a
while, there was a horn being honked, which was very, very,
very disturbing.
So, they want to bring out other people to follow them. I
think that each event that occurs in the United States, it
increases the danger, unfortunately.
Chairwoman Demings. Again, Rabbi, thank you so much for
being with us. I am now going to recognize the Ranking Member
of the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from Florida, Mrs.
Cammack, for questions.
Mrs. Cammack. Thank you, Chairwoman Demings. A couple of
questions for Congressman Fingerhut.
You had previously stated that in the wake of the Tree of
Life shooting that, ``the pace at which you were building up a
security network wasn't fast enough.'' Now, how has that
mission changed since 2018 and your comments then?
Specifically, has FEMA taken steps to improve the outreach to
the faith community? What suggestions can you make specifically
to outreach?
Mr. Fingerhut. Well, thank you, Congresswoman Cammack, for
that question. There is no question that the Tree of Life
shootings in Pittsburgh were the Jewish community's 9/11. I
mean, it is the most horrific incident in the history of this
country. We both have to fight--we have to do what the United
States did after 9/11, we have to build out a comprehensive
system of homeland security that really fundamentally changes
the way we protect every single institution of Jewish life.
We were already well under way in building local community
security initiatives through every Federation. The Federation
works with SCN to develop a security plan for the entire
community that includes every institution, every synagogue,
every JCC, every human services agency, every day camp, every
Hillel, you know, and every Chabad in those communities. Then
we work with the Federations to raise the funds necessary to
build out that security.
The more professional they are, the more successful they
are in applying for Nonprofit Security Grants because these
grants require a lot of expertise that are necessary. Together
with our partners at SCN, we have helped local communities with
that expertise to be able to apply for the grants. We have also
been very happy to and have been successful in helping other
faiths and communities with that expertise as well.
However, as I mentioned in my written testimony more
extensively, and I appreciate the chance to elaborate, the
State authorities who administer these grants and FEMA itself
lack the resources to themselves provide the help to the
nonprofits and faith-based institutions. As I mentioned in my
summary testimony, we are talking about, you know, close to
half a million faith-based institutions in this country and
well over a million nonprofit institutions. If everybody, as
they wake up to this growing, were to apply, the system would
be completely overwhelmed.
We strongly urge that--I would strongly urge that as part
of the action that this committee recommends and the full
Congress would take would be to authorize additional funding
within FEMA to be able to assist nonprofits and faith-based
institutions in the application process. Certainly Rabbi
Cytron-Walker spoke, you know, eloquently about the impact on
small synagogues and small communities. That could be done by
allowing them to utilize some of the funding, additional
funding, that is allocated for this purpose. So, it would be a
very beneficial improvement to the program.
Mrs. Cammack. Thank you. As a follow-up to that, what, in
your opinion, could FEMA be doing specifically with outreach to
these faith-based institutions for getting the word out about
this? I spoke with several within my own district who were
unaware that the program even existed.
Mr. Fingerhut. Absolutely, Representative. It is an
excellent point.
FEMA, again, if they were given the resources, they could
be doing much more to communicate directly out into the
communities. But as well, I want to suggest that we in the
Jewish Federations system, this is what we exist to do. Every
community has a Federation that is in touch with every
synagogue and every institution. Of course, other faiths have
similar networks and umbrella organizations that are in touch
with each of their churches, either of their mosques, either of
their centers.
We are already working with FEMA and with the State
authorities, but we would welcome the opportunity to work more
closely, also, of course, with our partners in the Secure
Community Network, which is this is part of what they do on our
behalf, you know, in the communities to reach out directly to
more and more communities. It is an area of public-private
partnerships.
Of course, as you know, these faith institutions are
connected to each other. We are connected together through our
Jewish Federations and through other networks. We would welcome
the chance to partner more extensively with FEMA if they have
the resources and support to do that.
Mrs. Cammack. Excellent. I appreciate your commentary and
thank you, again, to all our witnesses. With that, Chairwoman
Demings, I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. Thank you. The Ranking Member yields
back. The Chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan,
Ms. Slotkin, for questions.
Chairwoman Slotkin. Thank you, Madam Chair. I appreciate
it. I guess my question is for Rabbi Charlie.
You know, we have talked about the recommendations you have
on helping smaller communities write these grants or make the
form more streamlined; of sort-of the special problems around
getting smaller communities the security that they need. I know
the staff are here busy taking notes and I would propose, Madam
Chair, that we work on some sort of comprehensive piece of
legislation that does these fixes to these programs which we
know are good things, but have things that are sort-of holding
our smaller communities back.
Rabbi, tell us some other things that you think we should
be paying attention to when it comes to modifying some of these
homeland security opportunities for security.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. With regard to smaller congregations,
I think one of the most important things is to listen, right,
to hear what my reality is like on a Shabbat morning; to talk
with small churches, small mosques, small temples from
throughout the diversity of what exists within our religious
landscape, and to really hear just how different it is when you
have a smaller number of people showing up, where you don't
necessarily have the funds to do everything that you would
want. You don't necessarily have the bandwidth to really be
intentional about all of the processes when the greatest debate
within the synagogue or within the community has to do with,
you know, the food being served or how are we going to get
enough volunteers to have this celebration? It is a really,
really hard thing to have a dedicated group of volunteers
focused on security issues that may never happen, but that we
all need to be prepared for.
So, understanding some of those realities and for Congress
to really be able to seek out that information, I think, would
be incredibly, incredibly valuable, so that the program can be
tailored to do what you want it to do. Meet the needs of
smaller communities, meet the needs of so many throughout this
Nation that want nothing more than to feel a sense of safety
and security.
Chairwoman Slotkin. Thank you for that. I think we will
certainly come back to you as we try to shore up and improve
the good programs we already have on the books.
For Congressman Fingerhut and Mr. Masters, you know, I
think we are focused on this surge in hate crimes, particularly
anti-Semitic incidents, over the past few years. We have seen
this surge in conspiracy theories and sort-of deep-seated
prejudice come back out.
We have this National bulletin that DHS just put out. Can
you speak to the ways in which the convergence of anti-Semitism
and extremist ideology and conspiracy theories are sort-of
playing out in increasing threats to the Jewish community?
Mr. Fingerhut. Thank you. I will suggest that Mr. Masters
start and then I can add to what he says.
Mr. Masters. Thank you and thank you for the question,
Chairwoman. This goes back to your opening statement, what we
continue to see is the proliferation of what we are referring
to more and more as sort-of salad bar terrorism, where these
conspiracy theories and on-line tropes, misinformation,
disinformation, malinformation are metastasizing in people. So,
literally, they are finding this salad bar of ideas that they
can go to, and it is having resonance with them.
Our team of intelligence analysts in our JSOCC, this is why
we are referring incidents, individuals, and threats to law
enforcement, local, State, and Federal, in partnership with our
communities every single day. I want to highlight the
partnership particularly with the FBI and the strong proactive
stance that they have taken under Director Wray.
But it is creating a hodgepodge where literally someone can
find anything that appeals to them. That is why we assess with
Federal law enforcement that we are in the most complex and
dynamic threat environment of any point in the Nation's
history. It makes it very, very difficult for you to pinpoint
one aspect or one thing.
So, we saw that in the offender in Colleyville where he
believed that there was--by going to the Jewish community that
there was innate power there that would allow for him to secure
the freedom of a convicted terrorist. We saw across his
ideology, and we see this quite commonly with other people,
whether they are White supremacists, neo-Nazis.
I think one thing that we have to remember, particularly
with respect to physical target hardening now, it doesn't
matter the ideology that is coming through the door. I mean, it
wouldn't have mattered so much. There is an academic discussion
on anti-Semitism. We are all trying to confront it. It is, you
know, well over 3,000 years old.
But when we are talking about the safety and security of
the people who are looking to worship and pray in safety in our
country, the ideology of the person that is trying to get in is
somewhat irrelevant. We need to make sure that the door is
locked and that the members of our community are alive to have
that discussion. That is really very important.
If I can go back to your former question very briefly, on a
key thing that we see with the NSGP that can help that for
smaller congregations specifically, is ensuring that the State
administrative agencies deal with this program equitably. So,
if I look just at the State of Texas, where Rabbi Charlie is,
last year the Notice of Funding Opportunity from DHS was
released on 25 February. The State of Texas announced their
program on the 14th of January, a full 6 weeks before DHS had
even released the updated Funding Opportunity, and the State of
Texas closed the Funding Opportunity, their application, less
than 4 weeks later. So, people only had 4 weeks to complete the
application and that means that for particularly smaller,
underserved, unserved, less-funded institutions, it creates an
even bigger burden on them that is disparately impactful when
you have other States where an institution may have 2 months.
That is something that I think we could address right away that
would help the security and help our congregations.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentlewoman's time has expired. The
Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Pfluger, for
5 minutes.
Mr. Pfluger. Thank you, Chairwoman. Appreciate, again, the
opportunity to talk about this.
I will keep my question really focused because I think it
is important not just for this issue, but for so many other
issues that we see. It really comes down to information sharing
between the local, State, and Federal level. Regardless of the
issue that we are facing, I think that really is kind-of the
key to making sure that we can identify, detect, and prevent
bad things from happening.
In the case of this, Mr. Masters, I will kind-of start with
you. I mean, you know, when it comes to the Secure Community
Network, let me just hone in and get very specific. I mean,
where is it working? Honestly, more importantly, what can we do
better and what needs to be done better?
Mr. Masters. Well, I think, as my colleague, Congressman
Fingerhut, pointed out, we had worked in the Jewish community
to take a post-9/11 approach to this with coordinated
information sharing. Where we see things working very well, and
I mentioned that we take 11,000 incidents and reports into our
JSOCC every year, we have incredible connectivity with Federal
law enforcement specifically and many State and local law
enforcement agencies around the entire country. We need to
encourage that intelligence and information sharing.
We need to be able to identify when individuals are on
these platforms and refer them effectively to law enforcement.
Where we have, as Congressman Fingerhut mentioned, roughly 50
professional security programs in our communities, where we
have former members of law enforcement working on behalf of the
community, we see a 78 percent increase in incident reporting.
They are identifying the threats. They are able to coordinate
with law enforcement. They are able to coordinate with the
community.
What we need to do and what we are working to do as a
community, particularly led by JFNA and SCN, is enhance that
security shield over the whole community so that we have
professionals that are good partners to law enforcement.
On the law enforcement side, very briefly, we need to make
sure that our fusion centers are communicating effectively the
threats to State and local law enforcement. They are reporting
those up effectively to the National Threat Operations Center
at the FBI and to our partners and colleagues at DHS, and make
sure that that is seamless.
These bad actors are often--they are moving faster than the
intel. We need to close that cycle and make our apparatus move
as quickly as they are.
Mr. Pfluger. Let me just follow up really quickly. I mean,
are there areas throughout the United States where you are
seeing a lack of support at the local level? When there is
information that is being pushed down, where we could be taking
action, we could be identifying these threats, and yet we are
not seeing that support at the local level?
Mr. Masters. I think that we have built phenomenal
relationships with law enforcement. You need to make friends
before you need them in this business. If you are introducing
yourself to one another at a critical incident, you have
probably failed. I think that we have done well on that.
One thing that I think is critical that we enhance is the
hate crime reporting. To go back to the statistics that
Chairwoman Slotkin mentioned, you know, or it may have been
Ranking Member Cammack, when we have roughly 1,100 religiously-
based hate crimes in this country, we know that is not a
reality. When we create a security program at a Federation, we
see that incident reporting going up 78 percent.
We need to make sure that we are promoting and pushing law
enforcement agencies to identify, report, and then for
prosecutorial agencies to prosecute hate crimes. We still have,
you know, the vast majority of communities, law enforcement
agencies in this country report zero hate crimes. The rabbis,
Congressman Fingerhut, and I will tell you from working in the
communities that is just not a reality and it needs to be
corrected.
Mr. Pfluger. Well, thank you for that. I think this
underscores the need to have prosecutorial action to hold the
law that we do have, the laws that are the law of the land as
the standard. Hate crimes are unacceptable in any form or
fashion. I think this hearing clearly identifies that and
clearly brings this issue up, but we must uphold the laws and
it is not OK to pick and choose which ones we are going to
follow and which ones we are not.
So, I very much appreciate this hearing. With that, Madam
Chair, I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman yields back. I will now
recognize Members in order of seniority, alternating between
Majority and Minority and alternating between the two
subcommittees. The Chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from
Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee, for 5 minutes.
Ms. Jackson Lee, are you unmuted? We will come back to you.
Mrs. Miller-Meeks, the gentlewoman from Iowa, for 5
minutes.
The Chair will now recognize the gentleman from New Jersey,
Mr. Payne, for 5 minutes.
Mr. Payne. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for
holding this very timely hearing.
You know, this has been an issue that has concerned me a
great deal prior years on this committee. The Chairman,
Chairman Thompson, of the overall committee, has done a
tremendous job in continuing the efforts to secure funding
around these grant programs. I was honored to travel with him
to Pittsburgh after the Tree of Life incident and speak to the
rabbi and survivors of that horrible, horrible day. I also had
tragedy in my district, in Jersey City, at a store where
several people were killed. It is just an intolerable situation
around the anti-Semitism that we must curtail. So, I commend
you for keeping this in the forefront.
I will just hasten my questions as we have a large group to
speak today. This is for anyone that wants to answer.
You know, virulent anti-Semitism content is too easily
shared on-line, often via social media. How has social media
been used to target your communities, either individually or
via larger conspiracies, that has spread on-line?
Mr. Fingerhut. Representative Payne, I will start and I
think probably my colleague, Mr. Masters, would have best
detailed knowledge of the situation. But I want to say that we
are deeply aware that what is happening on-line is connecting
potential attackers in any place to the information and the
incitement and the radicalization that is coming from all over
the world. That makes every community a place of risk and every
faith-based institution a potential target precisely because of
the issue that you are so insightfully raising.
There is no place that is immune to this danger precisely
because of the threats on-line. I have to say that you have
raised and other Members of the distinguished committee have
raised that the growing threats of anti-Semitism on-line and
the wide range of issues that are being conflated together, all
of which have anti-Semitism under it, is the reason why we need
to be protecting every single institution in every community.
As I have already mentioned, our partnership with SCN is
working, the Jewish Federations is working to build out the
professional security system in every single Jewish community.
Then that will enable us to work more closely with FEMA on the
Nonprofit Security Grant Program if they are given sufficient
resources, both for the grants and for the administration of
the program. We simply must recognize that the point you have
raised is the telling point and why every single community
could be victim.
Last, I will add, and then, again, maybe Mr. Masters would
choose to add to this because he is an expert about what is
happening on-line, is that we also need to enable FEMA to use
these grants in the broadest range of possible topics, the
broadest definition of terrorism, the broadest attack,
definition of risk. Currently, the definition is relatively
narrow. We strongly encourage the committee to consider
including report language or additional legislative language
that would enable FEMA to recognize that these threats are
coming from every possible subject matter and ideology
available.
Mr. Payne. Thank you.
Mr. Fingerhut. Perhaps Mr. Masters has more to add.
Mr. Masters. Thank you. I would add, you know, if we look
back at the trajectory, right, if you go back to, for instance,
the Iranian revolution in the 1970's and 1980's and the use of
audiotapes to build support for the Islamist movement; and then
we think about al-Qaeda and the publishing of fatwahs and
statements from bin Laden, the transition to Anwar al-Aulaqi
and videotapes; and then more recently, right, this trajectory
where the so-called Islamic State then moved into really slick
video programming, right, the advertisements and so on. I think
that is a blueprint.
Now they are able to get on social media. Frankly, not
enough was done quickly enough or aggressively enough or
comprehensively enough to de-platform these individuals. Then
when the threat--you know, we have seen it with White
supremacists and neo-Nazis, similar issues of removing them off
the platforms.
Then the other issue, when you take them off, they often
move to an encrypted spaces or harder-to-get-to spaces. So, it
becomes a really perplexing problem.
We are seeing the transition now to gaming spaces, gaming
platforms, and gaming-adjacent platforms, where people are
playing videos as Hamas operatives who are destroying
synagogues, blowing up synagogues. That is the video game. Or
active-shooter video games where someone is going into a school
and pretending to kill nursery school-aged children.
So, this is really a pervasive problem. As fast as we may
try to counter it, the reality is that the people, the bad
actors are moving quickly, which means we need to really look,
in my opinion, at a solution which engages the private sector
and is honest. These are not Government spaces. This is not a
free speech argument. These are private companies that are
making money and we need to take an aggressive stand to ensure
that the way they make money doesn't justify people being
victimized, harassed, or justify the killing of individual
innocents in this society.
Mr. Payne. Well, I agree with you wholeheartedly. We will
continue the efforts here on this committee to show the
leadership that we need in this Nation to curtail this type of
activity.
With that, Madam Chair, I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman's time has expired. The
Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Higgins,
for 5 minutes.
Mr. Higgins. I thank my friend and colleague, Chairwomen
Demings and Slotkin, and I think the Ranking Members Cammack
and Pfluger for holding this hearing today.
Ensuring that our homeland is secure and our Jewish
brothers and sisters are safe is vital to our Nation's success
and our foreign relations. While the concerns being discussed
here today will no doubt require more thoughtful and deliberate
discussions, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a great
example of providing both resources and training in case of a
physical or impending threat. As a former law enforcement
officer, a 12-year SWAT operator, I am very familiar with the
fact that every second counts.
Shifting to the attack in Colleyville, it shouldn't have
happened in the first place. Despite an extensive record of
criminal behavior and a radical history, the suspect was
permitted to travel to the United States and freely within our
homeland.
So, as a foundational principle and, you know, Biblically,
Scripture says that the Nation that stands against Israel
stands against itself. May I say that that very simple truth
must permeate the Homeland Security policies and procedures and
our determination to maintain law and order within our Nation.
We are a Nation of immigrants, yes, legal immigrants. But
we are first a Nation of law and order. We just safeguard the
homeland and confirm that those who come here are not intending
harm to our Nation. Without sovereignty and secure legal entry
processes, our communities are at risk and recent attacks prove
that.
Historically, this is just a fact. We have to get our head
wrapped around that.
I offer a friendly ear to fellow Members on both sides of
the aisle to find solutions so our friends and communities, our
churches and synagogues and places of worship can be peaceably
gathered.
I would like to ask our rabbis, Rabbis Cytron-Walker and
Konikov, thank you for your testimony and for spending time
with us today. Your service, your faith, your dedication to
communities and congregation is noble. Let me say that domestic
or international, any act of aggression or violence toward
Israel and its citizens must be handled swiftly.
As leaders of your respective communities, ensuring that
your place of worship is secure must be a top priority. I would
ask you to clarify your relationship with local law
enforcement.
Historically, Jewish communities are very close with local
law enforcement. The thin blue line of law enforcement
professionals across America face a particular persecution in
this era in America. I ask for your reassurance that the Jewish
community stands solid with the law enforcement professional,
compassionate, strong, and courageous law enforcement across
the country.
Would you agree that that is your position?
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. Well, Representative Higgins, if I
may, thank you for those kind words. I was literally texting
and emailing with the chief of Colleyville Police during those
horrible, horrible hours, so that the relationship between our
community and the Colleyville Police Department has been very,
very important.
It is also important to note that the deadliest shooting at
a house of worship wasn't an overt sense of hatred against Jews
or anyone else. It was in Sutherland Springs in Texas, right,
which was so horrible.
Mr. Higgins. Right.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. So horrible. Right? That happened in
our State and it was something that, also, another one of those
incidents that just touched all of us so, so deeply. That it
really does take all of us, I guess that is what I want to say,
it really takes all of us on all sides of the aisle to come
with that sense of curiosity and come with that sense that our
status quo is not OK. Right? That we can't do this as a society
where this kind of violence is happening in our religious
communities and in our schools and our religious institutions
and nonprofits. We need that sense of security. We needed these
grants, we need these programs.
We also have to do more to work together to change that
overall reality because what we are going through right now, I
don't believe it is sustainable. But I appreciate your work on
this.
Mr. Higgins. Rabbi, I can't imagine that it could have been
better stated, the position. Thank you, sir, for your kindness.
Madam Chair, I believe my time has expired.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman's time has expired. Thank
you so much. The Chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from
Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee, for 5 minutes.
Ms. Jackson Lee. Thank you very much to the Chairs for this
important hearing, crucial hearing, and as well to the Ranking
Members as well.
Let me take note of Mr. Masters' last comments when he said
the Jewish way of life in the United States of America is under
attack. Sadly, this hearing further confirms not only that and
the rising increase of anti-Semitism, but, again, the rise of
racism and racial attitudes, which includes in particular the
African-American community. So, we are looking at two of the
targets and I am grateful for this hearing.
Let me start, first of all, if it has not been submitted,
to submit the DHS-issued National Terrorism Advisory System
bulletin issued yesterday into the record. I ask unanimous
consent.
Chairwoman Demings. Without objection.*
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* The information was submitted by Chairwoman Slotkin previously in
this document.
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Ms. Jackson Lee. Thank you. Let me start with Rabbi Cytron-
Walker.
Our prayers were with you, but prayers needed action. But I
think my outrage is that your congregation, a place of peace, a
place of worship, something that the Constitution gives us a
sense of comfort that we as a Nation, the oldest democracy, had
as the No. 1 provision, the Bill of Rights, the right to
freedom of religion. You were violated.
Can you tell me--Rabbi, first of all, I hope those who were
held, I hope God is encouraging them and the comfort of this
Nation lets them know that we care. As well your congregants, I
hope that they are knowing that America cares and we in the
U.S. Congress cares.
Can you tell me the one thing that you thought helped to
bring you to safety? Did you find in the perpetrator a
confusion or pointed focus?
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. I would say, first of all, that--first
of all, thank you for those kind words and thank you for the
support. Our congregation has been overwhelmed in the most
wonderful of ways by all of the support that we have received,
myself and those who were held hostage. We have been working
through it and we have really appreciated just the incredible
amount of support within and outside of our Nation and our
global world community. It has been unbelievable.
In terms of the----
Ms. Jackson Lee. Perpetrator.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker [continuing]. Perpetrator, he was very
focused on one thing. Right? He was very focused on this idea
that Jews controlled the world. Jews could pull the strings,
that I could call the chief rabbi of America as far as he was
concerned. Rabbi Buchdahl, you know, is absolutely amazing, but
we don't have a chief rabbi in America.
He thought that we could do that and he could get this
person released, and that was his singular focus. That was his
singular understanding. That idea that Jews control the world,
the Jews control the media, the Jews control Government, the
Jews control everything, that was reality for him.
Like he deeply, in everything he shared, he believed that
100 percent, that America would care more about Jews than
anybody else. So there was no confusion about that. That was
consistent every step of the way.
Ms. Jackson Lee. The height of anti-Semitism. Thank you so
very much. Our prayers continue to be with you.
Let me read into the record the language of this bulletin,
``Continued cause for violence directed at U.S. critical
infrastructure, soft targets, and mass gatherings; faith-based
institutions such as churches, synagogues, mosques;
institutions of higher education; racial and religious
minorities; government facilities and personnel, including law
environment; and the military, the media, and perceived
ideological opponents.'' The gist of this bulletin says that
this language, these acts generate potential violence.
We know that Mr. Greenblatt said in his last testimony
before us, ``Extremist White supremacist ideology is more than
a collection of prejudices. It is a complete world view.''
Can I hear from Mr. Singleton--excuse me, Mr. Masters and
Mr. Fingerhut, if I could? Could you both respond to the
intensity of these actions and words turning into violence and
how these grants are so crucial at this time? Mr. Fingerhut and
then Mr. Masters. Thank you.
Mr. Fingerhut. Thank you, Congresswoman Jackson Lee. There
is no question that the reason why it is necessary for us as a
Jewish community to ensure that every single institution in the
Jewish community is protected, both through physical protection
and the professional security network that we are building in
each community is because of this rise of anti-Semitic speech
and incidents. They don't all, obviously, manifest in violence,
but they create the environment in which the individuals, such
as those who carried out these attacks, are motivated to act.
So, there is a direct correlation between the rise of anti-
Semitism that our colleague Jonathan Greenblatt spoke to this
Congress about. While there is a full-throated effort to
counter that anti-Semitism led by Mr. Greenblatt and our
organizations and others, we also simultaneously have to
protect and defend every Jewish institution.
You know, I note that after 9/11, America both went on the
offense against terrorism around the world, but also protected
and built out the homeland security system that we are so
familiar with today. That is where we are in the Jewish
community today. We have to both counter anti-Semitism wherever
it is, but we must recognize that it will nevertheless result
in these violent attacks. We will protect every community.
As you may have heard, Congresswoman Jackson Lee, we are in
the middle of a major campaign to extend our professional
security initiatives in partnership with SCN, out to every
single Jewish community organized through its Federations. Then
each place also wish to partner in-depth with local law
enforcement, as previously was discussed, and also, of course,
with this important FEMA grant program.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentlewoman's time has expired. The
Chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from Iowa, Mrs. Miller-
Meeks, for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Miller-Meeks. Thank you, Chair Demings and Chair
Slotkin and Ranking Members Cammack and Pfluger, for this
important hearing. Certainly our hearts, our sympathies are
with all of those in Colleyville for this horrendous attack. I
went to school there and know the area very well.
Mr. Masters, according to a report conducted by the Anti-
Defamation League's Center on Extremism, in 2020, there were
114 reported instances of Zoom bombing directed at Jewish
institutions, such as synagogues, Jewish community centers, and
Jewish schools. Have you heard from your members about an
increase in this or other types of cyber harassment?
Mr. Masters. Certainly. So--and thank you for the question.
Particularly at the beginning of the pandemic, as our community
moved on-line in many respects, Zoom and Facebook Live, we saw
a dramatic increase in Zoom bombings in particular. We worked
collaboratively with the ADL and Zoom, as well as other
providers, to address safety and security settings. All told,
we held national webinars to educate thousands of members of
our community on how to implement those security settings to
avoid the Zoom bombing.
We also have seen during the pandemic more broadly a 40
percent increase reported into our intelligence center, our
Operations Command Center, of cyber intrusions and activity. We
work very closely, as I mentioned, with the FBI and DHS.
We anticipate that this is going to increase. I would note
that particularly when we see international events that affect
the State of Israel and the Jewish community throughout the
world, we see an uptick in cyber activity, what we believe to
be both from state and non-state actors, some affiliated with
foreign terrorist organizations, others operating on their own
potentially. This is very significant.
What I would drive to with the point, and this goes to the
physical security as well, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson
Lee's question, it is not just about the security. It is about
the feeling of insecurity that is created in the community.
Whether it is on Zoom or whether it is the question that Rabbi
Konikov identified as someone feeling uncomfortable, if we get
to a place in our country and this community where people are
uncomfortable walking to synagogues, sending their kids to
Jewish day school, or participating in a Zoom, we will do far
more damage to ourselves as a faith-based community and as a
country than any single or group of terrorists could do.
That is why it is so essential that we have these funds to
help us support the physical security, the cybersecurity, to
create an empowered, resilient community. We thank you for your
support in making that happen.
Mrs. Miller-Meeks. To that end, an extension of this is
that, and this is for any of the witnesses or either of the
rabbis as well, Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas,
has regularly live-streamed its service, especially since the
start of COVID, to ensure that its entire community would still
be able to participate. This practice took a dark turn when
Malik Faisal Akram took 4 people hostage and when it allowed an
unprecedented number of people to watch the attack in real
time.
We know, given the state of culture now, the state of the
internet and social media, and getting more likes and attention
if you do egregious things, I mean, all of us have seen some of
the horrific videos on the internet. Are you all concerned that
having had this live-streamed inadvertently would yield to
copycat attacks as a result of the extremely public nature of
the Colleyville attack?
Mr. Masters. Oh, sorry.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. No, go ahead, please.
Mr. Masters. Yes, I will be very--from a security
perspective, the answer is yes. We saw this with the
Christchurch, New Zealand, attacker. We saw it with the
attacker in Poway who attempted to live stream. We saw the live
stream impact in Colleyville.
The short answer is yes, we are very concerned about this
and the implication for copycats, and we need to work to
address it. I will defer to----
Mrs. Miller-Meeks. It goes to the insecurity you just
mentioned in the community and the insecurity to practice your
faith.
Mr. Masters. Yes, ma'am.
Mrs. Miller-Meeks. Rabbi.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. First of all, I want to say that I
appreciate the hyphenated last name. Thank you for the
opportunity.
With regards--I mean, it is a very strange thing because
not only was this very, very public for us, we also had so much
interest, right, and repeated interest on the Facebook platform
that we want to be open and honest, and yet we are no longer
mentioning the names of everyone who is sick that we are
praying for within the congregation. We are trying to be
conscious of the sense of privacy in a way that we have never
had to think about in our world today.
So, it remains an on-going issue for us in our community
and yet we want to be open, we want to be accessible for our--
you know, on-line. We want people to be able to pray with us
and connect with us. Yet, there is a whole host of new and not
necessarily appreciated challenges that has come with this as
well. Yet, we remain committed to figuring out solutions. But
thank you for the question.
Mrs. Miller-Meeks. Thank you and we remain committed with
you. I yield back my time, Chairwoman.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentlewoman yields back. The Chair
now recognizes the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Green, for 5
minutes.
Mr. Green. Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and the
Ranking Member as well. To my friends who are assembled as
witnesses I thank you for your appearance today. It means a
lot. I am going to address my question to my friend, Mr.
Fingerhut.
Friends, first a bit of preamble, if you will. I and a very
dear friend, David Mincberg, encountered bigotry many years
ago. I was president of the NAACP. He was with the AJC. He was
the lead person. He and I took on this challenge. It was a
challenge related to the African-American community. But having
the allies in the Jewish community made all the difference in
the resolution.
It is important for us not to silo our problems, that we
should see these problems as a collective. They are our
problems. They are not your problems. They are our problems.
They are my problems. We have got a duty to help each other in
these times of need.
We are not confronting persons who have said some ugly
things, we have a duty to bond and let people know that we are
friends and that we will stand together. If ever you make a
statement or if ever you do something that is inappropriate,
you know that you can count on us. We have to count on each
other.
Now, having given that as my foundation, my predicate, I
believe that we have to treat all bigots the same. We cannot
make a distinction between one bigot and another. You can't
conclude that if one bigot is beneficial--I have a term that I
use now, it is called the ``beneficial bigot''--a beneficial
bigot has to be treated the same way you treat another bigot.
If you make exceptions for beneficial bigots, those exceptions
come back to haunt us.
So, I am hopeful that we will, as we move forward together,
and we must do it together, that when we encounter these
circumstances, we will take them on and we will do it together,
understanding that there can be no such thing as a beneficial
bigot.
So, to my friend, Mr. Fingerhut, I appreciate your being
here. Beneficial bigotry is the topic. How do you respond to my
comment that we have to treat all bigots the same? Can't give a
beneficial bigot a license to do what you wouldn't give another
bigot the opportunity to do.
Mr. Fingerhut. Representative Green, it is indeed a
pleasure to speak with you again, and you have been such a
champion on these issues. Thank you, sir.
I, of course, agree with your comment entirely that we must
treat all bigotry the same. I want to emphasize that as we grow
the professional security systems initiatives that we are
building across the entire Jewish community in each of our 146
Jewish Federations, that one of the key roles of those
professional community security directors, who, of course, are
working with SCN and trained by them, is to build relations
with not only local law enforcement, but also with other
community representatives of other churches and mosques and
other faiths. And that our Federations work, of course, in
partnership with the leaders of other faiths and NAACP and
Muslim groups and others so that we are sharing information, we
are working together in a unified way, and supporting each
other as we build out these necessary steps.
You know, both rabbis spoke beautifully, and I know they,
in addition to caring for their congregations and doing all the
pastoral responsibilities they have, they are also involved in
interfaith activities and broadening their work across the
community. But they can't do this alone. We have to offer them
the sophistication and the professional help that we can
through the Jewish Federation system and in partnership with
the Government, local law enforcement, and, of course, FEMA in
this case on the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
So, we take your comments seriously and we know we are all
in this together and we lock arms. Of course, we have had to,
as you and I have discussed, the Jewish community has had to be
very aggressive in building out these security programs in
every community because we have been a significant
disproportionate target of these violent attacks. But we know
that we are not alone and we are eager to do it in full concert
with all faith communities and all communities that we could
reach.
Mr. Green. Madam Chair, I thank you for the time. Let me
just close with this. Those who tolerate bigotry, perpetuate
it. We cannot tolerate it. Again, I thank you, Madam Chair.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman's time has expired. Thank
you for yielding back. The Chair now recognizes Mr. Meijer from
Michigan for 5 minutes.
Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Madam Chair, and to the subcommittee
for holding this hearing today, and to all of our guests who
are joining to share their expertise and their experience.
I just have to follow on what many of my other colleagues
have and just, you know, Rabbi Walker, thank you for the
example that you set for the just bravery that you showed. I
know, you know, in an era where we are all watching things
occur and scrolling our Twitter feeds to find updates, you
know, our hearts sank when we saw the news and then leaped at,
you know, the conclusion. Thanks again to your calmness under
pressure.
It was a situation you should have never been in, but one
that you handled and your fellow victims kind-of handled in a
way that, I think, set a powerful example.
Rabbi Walker, I just want to kind of build on, again, some
of the other questions here. You know, you mentioned that you
participated in about a half-dozen other security workshops
that have been offered by the FBI, the ADL, Colleyville Police,
and the Secure Community Network with Mr. Masters. Do you think
your experience is representative of other faith leaders? Has
that degree of involvement with the resources that are
available, do you feel that that is wide-spread and that there
is sufficient awareness of the tools and resources available?
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. Thank you so much, Representative
Meijer. I would say yes and no. That Security Summit that I
attended with the FBI, I mean, it was a huge auditorium and
there were faith leaders from across every spectrum and
background.
When we--we hosted in our community I want to say twice
with the Police Department and again with the FBI, I could be
remembering those differently. But in our congregation we
invited members of our interfaith community, religious leaders,
lay leaders, to participate. Our Colleyville Police Department
did a session on the development of a security action plan. We
had faith leaders from across the community. It just depends on
who shows up. Right?
A community has to feel the need and the desire. Right?
Unfortunately, a lot more people feel that as it hits closer to
home. But let us take--I mean, let us be realistic about this.
What happened to us is the most recent horrible thing, but
things have been happening for years. It is a matter of when
does that wake-up call happen that we need to be prepared?
So that education that--and also, that sense that being
prepared doesn't mean you expect it to happen. Right? That is a
really, really important point. Just like CPR, just like the
fire drills as was mentioned before, you don't count on tornado
drills. You are not expecting to get hit by a tornado, you are
not expecting a fire to happen in the building. There needs to
be a sense of awareness and preparation.
Unfortunately, in far too many schools, right, so many
public schools and private schools, they are doing lockdown
drills. Not because they expect it to happen, but it just makes
sense to have that preparation.
So, it doesn't matter the institution. From Jewish to
Muslim, Baha'i, atheists, right, all of us, I mean, everyone
from every background, unfortunately, we need that sense of
preparation.
Mr. Meijer. Certainly mentioning that recency, you know. We
are holding this hearing in the wake of what happened in
Colleyville. You know, it is fresh of mind and I think, you
know, it is not at all surprising to see an increased focus on
connecting our faith community with the resources that are
available. But then also that obligation and the necessity of
once more time passes to continue that engagement, to continue
to pushing those resources out, so that, you know, we don't let
the time that passes, you know, distract us from the underlying
mission.
So, again, Rabbi, I really appreciate you joining us here
today. I appreciate you sharing those comments. Thank you for
the leadership that you showed.
With that, Madam Chair, I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman yields back. The Chair
now recognizes the gentleman from Rhode Island, Mr. Langevin,
for 5 minutes.
Mr. Langevin. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank our
witnesses for their testimony today. I apologize I wasn't able
to stay for the entire hearing. I was on another hearing with
the Armed Services Committee, but did want to get back here to,
again, thank our witnesses and ask a couple questions.
So, if I can start with you, Rabbi Cytron-Walker. So, you
spoke in your testimony about the understandable burdens that
small congregations like yours face in navigating the paperwork
requirements of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Are there
other challenges with NSGP which are unique to small
congregations that you and Rabbi Konikov have experienced or
have heard of others experiencing?
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. I don't know all of the specifics, but
I do know that if it were not for one volunteer, who basically
made it almost his full-time job for, you know, weeks at a time
to try to get this together, I mean, so many hours in the back
room going through the grants, making sure it was right, making
sure it was accurate, we wouldn't have received the grants. I
can't imagine what it was like for my colleague in Florida.
Right? I just know that it is really, really challenging.
In terms of that general trend, since I don't know the--I
wasn't the one applying for it, you know. But I think that, you
know, Mr. Masters might be able to speak to that in a more
broader sense, a more global sense. But I can tell you that it
is really, really hard for smaller congregations to do it.
Mr. Langevin. Thank you.
Rabbi Konikov. I agree as well, by the way.
Mr. Langevin. Sure.
Rabbi Konikov. I agree to that same idea. I mean, it is a
very extensive project to do. We actually enlisted the Chabad
security in Florida to help us with it. They have told us that
those who received or awarded the grant in 2020, most of those
that they have been helping have not received the funds yet
because between, you know, FEMA and the Florida Department of
Emergency Management there has just been a lot of back-and-
forth. Many have just not received it because the process has
been going very slow.
Mr. Langevin. OK. Thank you for that. Here is a question
for all of our witnesses. In cases where nonprofit
organizations are needing to make sustained investments in
their security, have they run into challenges in securing
multiple grants over time from the Nonprofit Security Grant
Program? If so, is it clear why some applications from a
certain organization were accepted and others were not?
Mr. Masters. Sir, I will attempt to first answer that
question. For one, there is an ability to receive multiple
grants over the years. There is a waiting system that has a
preference for first-time applicants.
So, we have seen over the years, in 2006, as my colleague
Congressman Fingerhut mentioned when the grant program was
first created, as the pool has expanded, as more money has
become available, more people have applied, and that is a good
thing. That has made it somewhat more competitive, obviously.
There is a possibility for institutions to get multi-year
grants. I think as more institutions have applied and certainly
as it has expanded to those communities that traditionally
could not apply, our non-urban area communities, then we have
seen more applications and more first-time individuals getting
funded.
I would note when it comes to some of the complications
with respect to the grant, there is, as I mentioned earlier in
another answer to a question, there is disparity across the
State administrative agencies, which can make things
complicated. The Authorized Equipment List from which you can
purchase items was not really designed for faith-based
institutions or laypeople to take advantage of. It is the same
Authorized Equipment List if I was running a major gas refinery
and I was trying to use equipment to fund from there that I
would be using.
I think there are ways to make the process easier for those
first-time applicants, as Congressman Fingerhut mentioned, with
respect to increased support for first-time applicants. That
is, frankly, what we are doing a lot of in the Jewish community
through the joint effort of JFNA and SCN to make grant writers
available, to do more assessments, et cetera.
But there is a lot of work to do and there is more
organizations than we can service. So anything that can be done
from your side or the FEMA side to increase their ability to
support would be helpful.
Mr. Langevin. Absolutely.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman's time has expired. The
Chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from New Jersey, Mrs.
Watson Coleman, for 5 minutes.
Mrs. Watson Coleman. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for
bringing us together today. Thank you to each and every one of
our witnesses. The information has been so helpful.
Rabbi Charlie, it is so good to be able to have this
conversation with you. God bless you. My blessings to your
whole congregation and even those who were there on that day.
I don't have a question. Let me just say this. I heard you.
I heard about the difficulty in the application process. I
heard about the unpredictability in continuity of the
application process. I heard that we need additional resources
to be applied. I also heard loud and clear that we recognize
that we are all in this together, Black, Jewish, Muslim,
atheist, Sikh, whatever. We aren't always considered the other
now and we just show this country that we are together. We are
together in this message. We are together in our unity and we
will stand together for the democracy in this country.
So, I thank you for the opportunity to hear what you had to
say today. Madam Chairwoman, thank you so much, and to you,
Madam Chairwoman Slotkin, for bringing us together and giving
me this opportunity. I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. Thank you so much. The gentlewoman
yields back. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New
Jersey, Mr. Malinowski, for 5 minutes.
Mr. Malinowski. Thank you so much, Madam Chairwoman, and
thank you, too, to all of our witnesses for your presentations.
I am both delighted that we are holding this hearing and
incredibly sad that we have to hold this hearing.
So, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program is incredibly
important in my home State of New Jersey. We have had our
share, arguably more than our share, of anti-Semitic incidents
and other attacks on people based on their faith and race in
recent years. I think we are No. 2 in the country in terms of
anti-Semitic attacks since 2020.
I have held a number of workshops in my district for faith
leaders interested in the grant program and we have helped them
take advantage of these resources. But I also totally agree we
do not have enough resources and the numbers bear that out.
Fully 45 percent of applications right now are rejected by
FEMA and grant applicants often are not informed why they are
rejected. That is something we have to fix. Obviously, we need
more resources. For that reason, I have been a strong
supporter, even since I have been elected, of increasing
funding for this program and I will continue to do so.
At the same time, every single time I sign a letter to
increase funding, every single time I cosponsor a bill to
increase funding, I feel a sense of defeat because, as I am
sure all of our witnesses would agree, even though we have to
harden our places of worship, the solution to this problem is
not at the gate of our places of worship. If we wait until the
attacker is at the gate, you know, we have already, in a sense,
failed.
So that is really what I want to ask our witnesses about.
Why, in your view, is this happening? Why is it--perhaps, Mr.
Fingerhut, you mentioned that we are living through the most
intense period of attacks on the American Jewish community in
the history of this country. Why, from your standpoint, is this
happening right now?
Mr. Fingerhut. Well, Representative Malinowski, thank you
for the question. I know that these committees held a hearing
just recently on the rise of anti-Semitism and the relationship
to all the various political and radical movements that are
happening across the spectrum, you know, around the world. In a
previous discussion in this hearing, the impact of social
media, the impact of the internet to be able to bring these
things into every community, into anybody's home, anybody who
wants to reach, you know, this hatred.
The key for us is that we just know that it is not going to
end. The rise, the wave is still rising, and so we have to be
prepared.
If I might just take the moment of your question, there
have been so many excellent comments about the challenges the
current Nonprofit Security Grant Program faces. There are
things that this committee can do, even in legislative language
associated with appropriations that could help address them. We
need to give FEMA more flexibility and authority quickly and
support the Waive the Paperwork Requirement Act. I mentioned a
number of these things in my written testimony that has been
submitted for the record.
Representative Malinowski, I wish to say--I wish I had a
better answer for you on why, but I know that it is real and it
is growing and it is not going to end soon. So we have to give
our partners in Government all the resources and flexibility
needed to act now.
Mr. Malinowski. Yes, and we should. On social media, let me
put it this way to you, imagine there were a company in America
that tracked the on-line behavior of every single person in
this country and the world. Every time they found somebody
expressing views along the lines of Jews control the world or
anything like that, a representative of that company picked up
the phone and called that person to say, hey, couldn't help but
notice, you just expressed some really interesting views and we
would like to introduce you to 10 other people who share your
views. We would like to help you get together with those people
and help you explore your interest in combating those horrible
Jewish people who are trying to control the world.
Would you think that would be a pretty bad thing?
Mr. Fingerhut. Absolutely. Perhaps----
Mr. Malinowski. That is what social media companies do, of
course.
Mr. Fingerhut. Absolutely, Mr. Malinowski.
Mr. Malinowski. Yes. So, this is something that we are
looking very hard at. Obviously, it is not a guy picking up the
phone, making a call. It is an automated algorithmic system,
but it functions in precisely that way.
Mr. Fingerhut. If I might add, it is one of the reasons why
all of our community security programs through each of our 146
Federations will be connected through the security efforts of
the SCN, so that that kind of information on-line, when a
threat is identified anywhere in any community, can be
immediately broadcast out to all of our security directors in
every community because we know that they are doing exactly
what you said they are, introducing the radicals to more people
and that it will quickly spread. Copycats, similar, they will
show up on-line. Through our partnership with SCN, we are able
now to get that information out to every community.
Mr. Malinowski. Thank you. I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman yields back. The Chair
now recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Gottheimer,
for 5 minutes.
Mr. Gottheimer. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for this
timely hearing. The threats against the Jewish community are
rising at an alarming rate. As we know, just this week the
National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin warned of the role
disinformation is playing in motivating domestic extremists,
with a stress on the interest in targeting religious and racial
minorities; varied reports stating an uptick in calls by
extremists to replicate what occurred at Congregation Beth
Israel in Colleyville, Texas.
I want to take a moment to highlight the courage, as my
colleagues have, of Rabbi Cytron-Walker and the horrific
hostage situation in Colleyville. We are very, very thankful
for you and for what you did, and helped the other hostages
make it out safely.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker, your actions during the hostage crisis
have inspired many, of course. You have reminded the people of
the real threat faced in the Jewish community. How can DHS and
other agencies better support your community and others like
it? I know you have answered some of this, if there is anything
you think we have not addressed, I would be grateful.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. I would say that one thing that hasn't
been mentioned to the extent that maybe it needs to is that
idea of--I mean, it has been stated, right, we need those
relationships before something bad happens. We need the
relationships on the National, State, and local level with
regard to government. We need those relationships within our
inter-religious communities on a local level.
We need to know one another, which is--we don't have to be
experts in one another's religions, but we do need to know each
other and see each other and see the humanity within, whether
we are talking about, you know, the more progressive religions,
the more conservative religions, everybody in between, those
without any religion. We need that sense of relationship and to
encourage that relationship and to make those possible in
addition to all of the many possibilities that this committee
can do. Along with, as has also been mentioned, that idea of
acknowledging the hatred that exists.
Again, we don't have to agree with everyone, we are not
going to agree with everyone. But when we can see the humanity
in each other before we choose how to disagree, right, to know
that we are all human, we are not enemies, right, regardless of
whatever political side of the aisle, regardless of our
religious faith, we need to all be on the same team. When we
can be on the same team and tone down that rhetoric, right, and
that is a responsibility that all of us have, religious
leaders, elected officials from every part of government, when
we can do that, it makes a big difference. It makes a big
difference.
Mr. Gottheimer. To that point, you have obviously been a
leader in teaching members of society about the roots and
solutions to hate. Particularly in light of the disgusting Nazi
rally in Orlando and others, this is more important than ever.
I was proud, like many of my colleagues, to support the
Never Again Education Act in 2020, expanding U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum education programming. Are there other ways to
promote a deeper understanding of the lessons from historic
anti-Semitism, other steps you think we should be taking or
not?
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. Was that again to me? Sorry.
Mr. Gottheimer. I am so sorry, Rabbi. Yes, Rabbi Cytron-
Walker, sorry.
Rabbi Cytron-Walker. Yes. OK, no. Thank you again. I think
with regard to Holocaust education, I think that,
unfortunately, from my understanding of the research, and
Congressman Fingerhut could probably--or, you know, like there
are others who could probably do better than I, but my
understanding is that Holocaust education in this country is
actually decreasing instead of increasing.
That is something that--this is one event, you know, one
period of time that is so important for us from a historical
perspective. Unfortunately, it teaches, you know, the worst
experiences of what hate can do, of what dehumanization can do.
It is not the only story. Right?
I just had an opportunity to visit the Dallas Holocaust and
Human Rights Museum, which focuses in not only on the
Holocaust, but also human rights across the board. That is an
incredible resource to educate, and they do so in the DFW area
in an incredible way. That kind of education is helpful across
the board to not only better understand the Holocaust, but,
once again, to understand how we are all connected as human
beings.
Mr. Gottheimer. Well, you are right, and the Nonprofit
Security Grants and other measures that Mr. Fingerhut has
spoken about are so critical to protect synagogues, but also do
make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure we have
more resources, not less there, and which I think is so
important.
Thank you so much. I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentleman yields back. To our
witnesses, thank you so much for your patience. Finally, the
Chair now recognizes the gentlewoman from New York, Miss Rice,
for 5 minutes.
Miss Rice. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. I just want to
raise two quick issues that have already been pretty much
acknowledged and talked about by some of my colleagues.
I am very grateful for the millions of dollars that New
York and specifically my district on Long Island have gotten,
but I have heard from Jewish and interfaith organizations that
the present funding levels are clearly insufficient to meet the
current needs. This year we had 7 incredibly strong applicants
from my district who were denied funding. Even those that
received grants often find that their award is insufficient to
cover the needed security updates.
Now, these rejections are especially frustrating because
these organizations aren't told why they have been rejected,
only that they have been. So, I appreciate the work that is
being done that I think Mr. Masters talked about in terms of
help that is given to first-time applicants. But we also need
to worry about the applicant who maybe is not the first-time
applicant, but gets denied and without any explanation.
So, just to you, Mr. Masters, well, first of all, I think
we all agree that we have to put more money into this program
across the board. But how can we make it better? I don't know
if it is an issue of transparency or maybe giving organizations
that are denied their initial application a chance to make
changes so that they can receive these grants? Maybe you could
just kind-of talk a little bit about ways that we can fix this
and give more certainty to the applicants during that process.
Mr. Masters. Thank you, Congresswoman. I think you
identified perhaps one of the biggest complaints that we hear
across the entire Jewish community, but also when we are asked
to provide advice or counsel to our partners in other faith-
based communities or nonprofit communities: Lack of feedback.
So, you submit an application, it goes to the State
administrative agency, and then it goes to FEMA. When it is
rejected, there is no clarity on whether it was rejected for a
material deficiency in the application. Did I not put the
correct SAM or DUNS number? Or was my threat section or my
investment justification section off?
So, just the very basic--I mean, even if we just provided
was it a material deficiency or was it something in your
narrative in the objective part of--the subjective part of the
application which was problematic would be a huge advantage.
Then if you carry that point----
Miss Rice. Let me just interrupt you for 1 second.
Mr. Masters. Yes.
Miss Rice. So, what I would like to know is, you know, are
people being rejected just because there is no--they are making
the decision that there is no money and that these other
organizations are more deserving at this time than you? But if
that is the case, then they should know that, too. It sounds to
me like FEMA makes that ultimate determination of why they are
rejected, but does not give the reason. I mean, is there a way
that we can require a reason to be given?
Mr. Masters. Well, so every State gets a specific amount of
money and every urban area does, so that the State actually
identifies through their process who is getting it from the
State level until that pot of money gets to zero. So, very
feasibly, you could have someone that has a good application,
but because there is not enough money, they don't get awarded.
Then you could have people that have just they had problems
with their application itself and they are not getting feedback
on those applications. That is something that we as the
Federation System have worked to do in looking at many of those
applications that were rejected and providing feedback. I think
my colleague, Congressman Fingerhut, probably has something to
add on that as well.
Mr. Fingerhut. Yes. I just--thank you so much, Mr. Masters
and Representative Rice. I just really do want to point out
that we believe that FEMA just simply doesn't have the
resources right now to do the--to give the kinds of responses
that Mr. Masters and you are speaking of. We strongly urge that
some portion of these increased funds be allocated both to FEMA
and to the State authorities, so that they can give that
necessary feedback.
I also mentioned to Mr. Malinowski, but I want to repeat
that they also probably need a waiver of the Paperwork
Reduction Act, so they can quickly update and modernize their
application forms. Even some additional broader authority on
language as to what the risks, the threats are that are being
covered because these threats are just multiplying faster than
the legislative authority language they have, you know, has
enabled.
I believe, I certainly am out of date as to the functioning
of this committee from my time there, but certainly as much of
this that can be done, either report language or legislative
language around the appropriations, even before maybe some
changes are made to the authorizing language would--the
authorizing bill would really be timely and responsive together
with the funding increase.
Miss Rice. Thank you, Congressman. Thank you, Madam Chair.
I yield back.
Chairwoman Demings. The gentlewoman yields back. I ask
unanimous consent to enter a statement from the Anti-Defamation
League into the record. Without objection.
[The information follows:]
Statement of Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO & National Director, Anti-
Defamation League
10 a.m.
introduction to adl
Since 1913, the mission of ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) has
been to ``stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure
justice and fair treatment to all.'' For decades, one of the most
important ways in which ADL has fought against bigotry and anti-
Semitism has been by investigating extremist threats across the
ideological spectrum, including White supremacists and other far-right
violent extremists, producing research to inform the public of the
scope of the threat, and working with law enforcement, educators, the
tech industry and elected leaders to promote best practices that can
effectively address and counter these threats.
Domestic violent extremism has been on the rise in recent years.
The Jewish community continues to be a primary target of extremists,
regardless of ideology. Our hearts are with the Colleyville, Texas
community that was recently shaken by the trauma of being targeted by a
terrorist who took hostages at a local synagogue, one that thankfully
had security-related equipment and training--resources that many faith-
based communities Nation-wide do not have access to.
Without a doubt, right-wing extremist violence is currently the
greatest domestic terrorism threat to everyone in this country. From
Charleston to Charlottesville to Pittsburgh, to Poway and El Paso, we
have seen the deadly consequences of White supremacist extremism play
out all over this country. Moreover, at ADL we are tracking the
mainstreaming, normalizing, and localizing of the hate, disinformation,
and toxic conspiracy theories that animate this extremism. We cannot
afford to minimize this threat. We need a bipartisan ``whole-of-
Government approach''--indeed, a ``whole-of-society'' approach--to
counter it, and the work must start today.
current trends
Colleyville and Anti-Semitic Violence
Anti-Semitism is an on-going threat to the American Jewish
community. According to the FBI's annual data on hate crimes, defined
as criminal offenses which are motivated by bias, crimes targeting the
Jewish community consistently constitute over half of all religion-
based crimes. The number of hate crimes against Jews has ranged between
600 and 1,200 each year since the FBI began collecting data in the
1990's. There were 683 hate crimes against Jews in 2020, 963 in 2019
and 847 in 2018. The FBI's data is based on voluntary reporting by
local law enforcement and appropriate characterization of crimes as
also being hate crimes. For a variety of reasons, dozens of large
cities either underreport or do not report hate crime data at all. For
that reason, experts, including at ADL, know that the real figure for
crimes targeting Jews, as well as other minorities, is even higher than
the FBI reporting indicates.
A violent attack against the Jewish community occurred just
recently, on January 15, when a gunman entered Congregation Beth Israel
in Colleyville, Texas, during services, taking 3 congregants and the
rabbi as hostages. Though the standoff ended with all hostages freed
and physically unharmed, the violent act reinforced the need to
forcefully address the threat of anti-Semitic violence--experienced by
the Colleyville community and far too many others. The fact that the
Colleyville attacker travelled from the United Kingdom underscores that
there can be foreign influences on domestic terrorism, either through
incitement, coordination, or direct participation.
Rising Anti-Semitism
ADL has recorded a 60 percent increase of anti-Semitic incidents
over the past 5 years. While anti-Semitism has commonalities with
racism, anti-Muslim bias, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia,
misogyny, and other forms of hate and discrimination, it also has
certain unique characteristics as a specific set of ideologies about
Jews that has migrated across discourses--and across centuries. In
almost every part of our society, this hatred has been conjured and
adjusted to suit the values, beliefs, and fears of specific
demographics and contexts. The underlying conspiracy theories employing
Jew-hatred morph to fit the anxieties and upheavals of the time--for
example, that Jews were responsible for the Black Death in medieval
times and for ``inventing,'' spreading, or profiting from COVID in the
21st Century. Or that Jews exercise extraordinary power over
governments, media, and finance--from the charges of a conspiracy to
achieve world domination set forth in the Protocols of the Elders of
Zion and used by the Nazis, to thinly-veiled anti-Semitism blaming
``globalism'' and ``cosmopolitan'' elites for all the ills of the world
and for planning a ``new world order.''
We cannot fight anti-Semitism without understanding how it is both
intertwined with other forms of prejudice and how it is unique.
Each year, ADL's Center on Extremism tracks incidents of anti-
Semitic harassment, vandalism, and assault in the United States. Since
1979, we have published this information in an annual Audit of Anti-
Semitic Incidents. In 2020, ADL tabulated 2,024 reported anti-Semitic
incidents throughout the United States. This is a 4 percent decrease
from the 2,107 incidents recorded in 2019 but is still the third-
highest year on record since ADL began tracking anti-Semitic incidents
in 1979.
Known extremist groups or individuals inspired by extremist
ideology were responsible for 331 incidents in 2020, up from 270
incidents in 2019. This represents 16 percent of the total number of
incidents in 2020.
More recently, analysis from ADL's Center on Extremism reveals that
anti-Semitic incidents in the United States more than doubled during
the May 2021 military conflict between Israel and Hamas and its
immediate aftermath compared to the same time period in 2020. After
peaking during that period, incident levels gradually returned to a
baseline level.
Threats to HBCUs
Over the last several weeks, America's Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs) were targeted by wide-spread and repeated bomb
threats. While the cases are still under investigation, law enforcement
authorities reportedly believe the threats were racially motivated. It
is no coincidence that HBCUs, a long-standing symbol of Black
resilience and excellence, were targeted at the start of Black History
Month and during a time of wide-spread and ``equal opportunity'' hate,
which has affected minority communities Nation-wide.
It is notable that threats targeting the Black community come at a
time when anti-Semitic incidents are high, and the Asian American and
Pacific Islander (AAPI) community continues to experience alarming
levels of hate crimes directed toward them. Hateful movements do not
limit themselves to attacking only one group or demographic.
Murder and Extremism: By the Numbers
In 2021, based on ADL's preliminary research, domestic extremists
killed at least 29 people in the United States, in 19 separate
incidents. This represents a modest increase from the 23 extremist-
related murders documented in 2020 but is far lower than the number of
murders committed in any of the 5 years prior (which ranged from 45 to
78). While this could be cause for optimism, more likely it is the
result of COVID lockdowns reducing mass gatherings and the increased
attention of law enforcement following the January 6, 2021
insurrection.
Most of the murders (26 of 29) were committed by right-wing
extremists, which for more than a decade in this country has been the
case.
White Supremacist Propaganda
ADL's Center on Extremism (COE) tracked a near-doubling of White
supremacist propaganda efforts in 2020, which included the distribution
of racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ+ fliers, stickers, banners, and
posters. The 2020 data shows a huge increase of incidents from the
previous year, with a total of 5,125 cases reported to ADL (averaging
more than 14 incidents per day), compared to 2,724 in 2019. This is the
highest number of White supremacist propaganda incidents ADL has ever
recorded. The number of propaganda incidents on college campuses
dropped by more than half, perhaps due to COVID restrictions.
Propaganda gives White supremacists the ability to maximize media
and on-line attention, while limiting the risk of individual exposure,
negative media coverage, arrests, and public backlash that often
accompanies more public events. The barrage of propaganda, which
overwhelmingly features veiled White supremacist language with a
``patriotic'' slant, is an effort to normalize White supremacists'
message and bolster recruitment efforts while targeting marginalized
communities including Jews, Black people, Muslims, non-White
immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people.
policy recommendations
Addressing Modern Terrorist Threats
We need a whole-of-Government approach to address the extremist
threat that the Jewish community, and many others, are facing and will
continue to face in the years to come. The framework that ADL has
created--the PROTECT plan--is a comprehensive, 7-part plan to mitigate
the threat posed by domestic extremism and domestic terrorism while
protecting civil rights and civil liberties. Together, focusing on
these 7 categories can have an immediate and deeply significant impact
in preventing and countering domestic terrorism--more so than any one
action, policy, or law--and can do so while protecting civil rights and
liberties and ensuring that Government overreach does not harm the same
vulnerable people and communities that these extremists target.
Prioritize Preventing and Countering Domestic Terrorism.--We
urge Congress to adopt a whole-of-Government and whole-of-
society approach to preventing and countering domestic
terrorism.
Resource According to the Threat.--We must ensure that the
authorities and resources the Government uses to address
violent threats are proportionate to the risk of the lethality
of those threats. In other words, allocation of resources must
never be politicized but rather based on transparent and
objective security concerns.
Oppose Extremists in Government Service.--It is essential
that we recognize the potential for harm when extremists gain
positions of power, including in Government, law enforcement,
and the military.
Take Domestic Terrorism Prevention Measures.--We must not
wait until after someone has become an extremist or a terrorist
attack has happened to act. Effective and promising prevention
measures exist, which should be scaled.
End the Complicity of Social Media in Facilitating
Extremism.--Congress must prioritize countering on-line
extremism and ensuring that perpetrators who engage in unlawful
activity on-line can be held accountable. On-line platforms
often lack adequate policies to mitigate extremism and hate
equitably and at scale. Federal and State laws and policies
require significant updating to hold on-line platforms and
individual perpetrators accountable for enabling hate, racism,
and extremist violence across the internet. In March 2021, ADL
announced the REPAIR Plan, which offers a comprehensive
framework for platforms and policy makers to take meaningful
action to decrease on-line hate and extremism.
Create an Independent Clearinghouse for On-line Extremist
Content.--Congress should work with the Biden-Harris
administration to create a publicly-funded, independent
nonprofit center to track on-line extremist threat information
in real-time and make referrals to social media companies and
law enforcement agencies when appropriate.
Target Foreign White Supremacist Terrorist Groups.--Congress
must recognize that White supremacist extremism is a major
global threat of our era and mobilize with that mindset.
Nonprofit Security Grant Program
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is an essential tool in
protecting nonprofits, including houses of worship and other faith-
based organizations. The program can be used for training and equipment
to secure facilities, such as synagogues like the one in Colleyville,
Texas, whose leadership took advantage of the program. Far too many
houses of worship do not. And those that do apply have a frustratingly
low likelihood of receiving financial relief from the program for
securing themselves. For houses of worship, community needs should be
more front of mind than providing for their own security or raising
funds for security precautions.
In the last grant cycle, 3,361 applicants requested $399,763,916 in
NSGP grants, according to FEMA. Congress had only funded the program at
$180 million, providing for a maximum of only 45 percent of security
costs that nonprofits had assessed were necessary for their community's
security. That funding gap represents almost $220 million in unfunded
liabilities for nonprofit organizations in an era of high and rising
threats from domestic violent extremists. While the synagogue in
Colleyville had fortunately been aware of this opportunity--and
received some benefits from it--try to imagine all of the synagogues,
churches, gurdwaras, and other community pillars lacking resources, and
further, those that lack even the awareness of the program at all.
While it might be fair to say that not all applications for funding are
the highest caliber, it would also be fair to note that these are
community institutions--not professional Government contractors--
navigating complex bureaucratic requirements when they should be
focused on their communities. In this era of extreme threats to houses
of worship, our communities deserve more.
Recommendations for Reforming the Nonprofit Security Grant Program
NSGP poses a significant opportunity to help secure our
communities. Even modest reforms can provide significant support. ADL
recommends that Congress take on the following reforms:
Significantly increase the pool of available funding for
NSGP.--Funding NSGP at $360 million last year would have
ensured that 90 percent of applicants received funding. For
many grant programs, funding a small percentage of applications
is a signal of the competitiveness of the program; however,
NSGP does not fund nonprofits performing Government services,
it funds nonprofits who need Government support--it should not
be competitive, it should be helpful. We should expect even
more applications in the future, as more organizations should
be made aware of the program, and the threat trends show an
increase in risk. As such, $360 million is the minimum amount
that community organizations need to secure themselves in this
era of severe risk.
Scale outreach and engagement to increase the applicant
pool.--Not enough States avail themselves of the program, and
many community organizations are not aware of it. Following the
Colleyville tragedy, ADL heard from many community partners
that they were not aware of the funding available. While ADL
can make partners aware of the opportunity--and urge State
governments to increase their efforts within their States--DHS
must step up. DHS should significantly increase engagement with
communities and with State governments to broaden the number of
applicants seeking support from the program.
Scale outreach and engagement to guide applicants.--
Nonprofits like houses of worship are not Government
contractors; the burdensome bureaucratic requirements of
Federal funding applications may be familiar to organizations
with direct experience applying for Federal grants, but for
most NSGP applicants, applying is a new and unusual process. As
such, DHS should increase its guidance to potential applicants
on how to be successful when applying for funds. Applying for
NSGP grants should not be a competition, pitting congregation
against congregation. It should be a way to support all
communities under threat.
Broaden the spectrum of eligible grantee expenses.--NSGP
funds can be used for security training and equipment to guard
against threats that are ``terroristic.'' ``Terroristic'' is
not a term many applicants may be familiar with. Moreover, it
should be interpreted as broadly as possible, such as including
threats from domestic extremist organizations based on the
tactics those organizations use. As such, safeguarding against
cyber crimes, such as hacking a website, and other targeted
harassment that bears the hallmarks of the behavior of hate-
based movements that sometimes use terrorism should be
allowable expenses. The interpretation of guidance on expenses
should track the guidance on threats provided by DHS and other
law enforcement and intelligence entities, which note that
domestic terrorism represents the top terrorist risks to
Americans domestically. The full scope of domestic terrorist
tactics should be considered when making programmatic
decisions.
Provide full support to DHS to faithfully execute a scaled
program.--Grant management is a technical skill, and oversight
is incredibly important for large funds. DHS should not be
expected to adapt to the heightened threat environment without
further resources to ensure funding is spent effectively and to
provide necessary outreach. DHS should receive additional staff
and other resources to administer the program, as well as new
funding streams for additional outreach to potential
applicants.
Ensure transparency and oversight in the administration of
the program.--While DHS must be empowered to help community
members secure themselves, it cannot be allowed to operate
without careful oversight. We must acknowledge that some
communities may feel less empowered, not more, when seeing DHS
increase its resources. The program should be reviewed through
a civil rights and civil liberties lens. Further, it is
difficult for the public to determine how funding has been
dispersed: DHS should release a public, annual report on the
program, and Congress should ensure that the resources provided
to DHS for this objective are being used proportionate to the
evidence of terroristic threats.
Chairwoman Demings. With that, I thank the witnesses for
their valuable testimony and the Members for their questions.
The Members of the subcommittee may have additional questions
for the witnesses and we ask that you respond expeditiously in
writing to those questions. The Chair reminds Members that the
committee's record will remain open for 10 business days.
Without objection, the subcommittee stands adjourned. Thank
you all so much.
[Whereupon, at 12:23 p.m., the subcommittees were
adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
Letter From Yeshiva University
February 8, 2022.
The Honorable Val Demings,
Chairwoman, House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on
Emergency Preparedness, Response, & Recovery.
The Honorable Kat Cammack,
Ranking Member, House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on
Emergency Preparedness, Response, & Recovery.
The Honorable Elissa Slotkin,
Chairwoman, House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on
Intelligence & Counterterrorism.
The Honorable August Pfluger,
Ranking Member, House Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on
Intelligence & Counterterrorism.
Dear Chairwomen Demings and Slotkin and Ranking Members Cammack and
Pfluger: Yeshiva University is the world's premier Jewish institution
for higher education. Rooted in Jewish thought and tradition, it sits
at the educational, spiritual and intellectual epicenter of a robust
global movement that is dedicated to advancing the moral and material
betterment of the Jewish community and broader society, in the service
of G-d.
Our students study at our four campuses: Wilf Campus (500 West
185th Street), Israel Henry Beren Campus (245 Lexington Avenue) and
Brookdale Center (55 Fifth Avenue) in Manhattan, and the Jack and Pearl
Resnick Campus in the Bronx (Eastchester Road and Morris Park Avenue).
The undergraduate schools offer a unique dual curriculum comprising
Jewish studies and liberal arts and sciences courses, and our graduate
and affiliate schools offer tremendous opportunities for graduate and
professional studies. While part of a multifaceted University
community, each school retains the intimate character of a smaller
institution.
Our schools include Undergraduate Studies at the Stern College for
Women, Sy Syms School of Business, Yeshiva College and Yeshiva
University Summer Classes. For Graduate Studies our schools and
affiliate schools include the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration,
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Bernard Revel Graduate School of
Jewish Studies, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, The Katz School,
Sy Syms School of Business Graduate Studies, the Wurzweiler School of
Social Work, and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS).
For students who choose to begin their YU education in Israel, the
S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program is the formal arrangement between
Yeshiva University and yeshivot and seminaries in Israel. This program
provides structure, support, and guidance for the more than 600 young
men and women who study in Israel each year. We also have two affiliate
high schools Samuel H. Wang Yeshiva University High School for Girls,
The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy--Yeshiva University High School for
Boys. Some of the world's leading minds make their home in Yeshiva
University's classrooms. Beyond a commitment to research and writing,
YU faculty members engage and inspire their students, drawing them into
a continuing pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. They value close
interactions with their students and the opportunity to engage with
students outside the classroom setting, whether it's meeting informally
to continue a discussion started in the classroom or collaborating in
the laboratory on new research.
YU alumni have gone on to become distinguished rabbinic leaders,
world political leaders, business giants, and philanthropists. Alumni
have achieved immense success and made significant contributions to
society and the Jewish community both nationally and worldwide. They
serve, lead, and inspire by example: A testament to the University's
greatest resources--our students and faculty.
Situated in one of the most vibrant cities of the world with
unparalleled diversity, Yeshiva University is actively involved in its
surrounding community, both at the uptown campus (Wilf) and the midtown
campus (Beren).
The heinous acts directed at the Jewish community occurring across
this great nation is a reminder that even in this day and age, anti-
Semitism still has the power to poison minds. It is a reminder that we
do not have the luxury of ignoring this most ancient of hatreds. And
together we must battle not just the evils of anti-Semitism but all
racism and bigotry as they rear their ugly heads in this generation.
While all must continue to fight against this evil, our government
should provide the requisite level of resources to help protect
defenseless institutions.
Yeshiva University offers its strong support for increasing the
Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). As Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer noted at a recent speech at the Young Israel of Woodmere on
Long Island, New York, less than half of New York-based applicants
received funding under the program. An increase in program funding
would greatly benefit not only the Jewish community, but help protect
the vulnerable. Sadly, recent events underscore the vital importance of
ensuring that this program is funded at a robust level.
Thank you for holding this important hearing.
Sincerely,
Ari Berman.
[all]