Amid rising antisemitism, CJP’s Communal Security Initiative (CSI) has played a pivotal role in ensuring that Jewish and interfaith institutions have the tools and expertise to have secure and welcoming spaces. Through security grants and no-cost security assessments and trainings, CSI has helped more than 250 institutions—including day schools, early childhood centers, Chabad centers, agencies, and synagogues—create safer environments throughout Greater Boston. With a recent expansion to Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire, CSI is poised to help even more organizations.
Part of this work is helping to forge relationships between local law enforcement and community members and to share the latest security information.
This month, CSI convened a group of more than 100 law enforcement professionals and interfaith leaders from synagogues, churches, and other religious institutions. The most urgent topic of the day: the disturbing and dangerous trend of empty threats with sometimes deadly consequences.
In December 2023, a few months after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and ensuing war, nearly 200 synagogues, Jewish day schools, and JCCs received phoned-in threats from anonymous callers threatening bombings, shootings, and arson.
And it happens here. Post-Oct. 7, synagogues in Needham, Hingham, Brookline, Westborough, and Martha’s Vineyard have been the targets of swatting.
While each threat was deemed to be a hoax, the fear and confusion were real—as was the response by law enforcement, who had to respond and react to each call.
“Swatting,” as it is known, is a particularly dangerous form of harassment. A threat is made, a facility locks down or evacuates, police arrive, sometimes heavily armed, and chaos can ensue. Amid growing antisemitism and hate crimes across the country, swatting is much more than a nuisance. In fact, sometimes a hoax can have deadly consequences.
“Tragic incidents can occur because of swatting,” said Brian LeBlanc, an FBI supervisory special agent. “You have to slow down. You have to take a measured response. And the only danger is going to be to first responders and innocent victims, because the response itself presents real danger.”
Indeed, swatting has had deadly consequences for innocent victims, he added, including a California teen who was fatally struck by a car after evacuating a school that had been swatted, and a man who died in his home in Kansas when police mistook him for an assailant after a swatting call.
Since the war in Israel, demand for CSI services increased by more than 300% for incident management support and security consultations.
When it comes to responding to swatting, training is key. Jeremy Yamin, vice president of security and operations at CJP, said security training and preparation can make the difference when responding to swatting and other threats.
“Having the right protocol, having proactive security, and having people trained to respond to instances of swatting can help everyone stay safe,” he said. “In most cases, a secure building is the safest place to be during a swatting attempt. If you’ve got locked doors and proper entry procedures, your best bet is to take the call seriously but stay where you are. This is why training is so important.”
For Jewish institutions concerned about physical security, swatting, and security procedures, CSI is ready to assist, Yamin said.
Over the past year, CSI more than doubled its direct CJP security grants, awarding over $1.6 million to 160 partner organizations across Greater Boston. Additionally, CSI conducted 424 proactive security consultations, supported 378 incident requests, completed 21 cybersecurity assessments, and delivered 87 safety and security trainings, reaching nearly 2,500 people at 61 organizations.
CJP’s CSI offers free security and medical training, cybersecurity assessments, and much more to our partners in the Greater Boston Jewish community. For more information on training and other security-related resources, please visit our website. If you have questions or would like additional information, please email CommunalSecurity@cjp.org.
