Washington Must Act to Protect American Synagogues

As a rabbi, my life’s work is centered on the concept of mikdash me’at—the small sanctuary. Our synagogues are intended to be places of refuge, spaces where the noise of the world fades and the spirit finds shaloach. But today, that peace is increasingly guarded by steel, glass, and armed security. We have been forced to accept a heartbreaking reality: for the American Jewish community, a house of worship can become a crime scene in an instant.

On March 12, that reality hit home once again at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. As a pillar of American Jewish life, Temple Israel possesses the kind of top-notch security born from years of communal vigilance. When the attack came, the system worked. No lives were lost because the doors held, the cameras watched, and the professionals responded.

But this success story masks a deepening crisis. Last week, a bipartisan group of 150 House members called on the House Appropriations Committee to provide $1 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant........

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