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Dear Friends,
There is a particular feeling that comes with the High Holidays. It is the sound of a room filling up, the familiar faces, the seat that has always been yours. For all the reflection this season asks of us, what we love most is the simple warmth of being together again.
Belonging is the heart of Jewish life. We gather to reflect, to connect, to celebrate and in doing so we remind one another that we are not alone. This year, we want us all to lean fully into that warmth. We want our sanctuaries and social halls to feel full, our tables crowded, our children growing up knowing the joy of a community that shows up for them.
And we want us to feel safe while we do it.
In a time of rising antisemitism, the freedom to sing a little louder, to linger a little longer, to bring a friend who has never come before, all of it depends on knowing that someone has thought carefully about our safety. This year, that is exactly what we have been building together.
Our security program is designed so that your safety never depends on a single point of protection. State of the art technology forms one layer. Trained, armed security forms another. Deep coordination with our law enforcement partners forms a third. Woven together, these layers give us multi-level, integrated coverage across our community’s institutions.
This summer, we brought those layers under one roof. In June, we launched our Security Operations Center (SOC), a hub staffed by trained professionals who monitor our systems, share intelligence with regional and national partners, and stand ready to coordinate a response the moment one is needed. If a serious threat ever emerges, the SOC can reach the whole community in minutes. It is, quite simply, the nerve center of how we keep one another safe.
But security is not only cameras and operators. It is people who know what to do. Before this school year began, all of our community schools completed Active Shooter Response training. Two hundred and sixty-four members of our community have been trained in Stop the Bleed, learning skills that save lives in the moments before help arrives. We have led emergency management, crisis management, and emergency communications training, supported security planning at 11 community events, and presented to the boards of six partner organizations, so that shared knowledge becomes shared strength.
These numbers matter, but not for their own sake. They matter because behind each one is a child in a classroom, a family at services, a newcomer who walked through our doors and felt welcome. Every training, every partnership, every hour in that operations center exists so that you can do the most Jewish thing of all: gather, without fear.
Here is where you come in. A safe Jewish community is a safe Columbus community. When we come together, protect our own, and live proud, vibrant lives—we strengthen the whole city we call home.
So this year, come in. Take your seat. Bring someone with you. Let the room fill up. We will take care of the rest.
Wishing you and your loved ones a sweet, healthy, and meaningful new year.
Shabbat Shalom.
