Jewish Security Network launched in Toronto to combat antisemitism

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Toronto’s Jewish community has established a broad private security agency to protect Jews and Jewish institutions against increasing incidents and threats of antisemitic attacks.

Called the Jewish Security Network, the agency announced ambitious plans on Thursday for an around-the-clock, centralized, command and control operations centre; “hardening” of the physical infrastructure of Jewish institutions; training of volunteers; and research, analysis, and rapid information sharing.

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“What we do need to do is start treating our facilities like our homes,” said Jevon Greenblatt, introduced as the executive director of the Jewish Security Network (JSN).

“It’s a welcoming home but I need to know who you are, and I need to know why you’re there. And I need to know that you are safe for my family inside. So that is the reality. And this is a shift that we need to have… and yet many of our facilities are wide open, with no security, with people inside.

“This is a change in the way of doing things. It doesn’t mean we have to become unapproachable. It doesn’t mean we have to become a closed society. What it does mean is we need to be protecting our community like we protect our family and children.”

Jeff Rosenthal, chairman of the United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto (UJA), a registered charity, said that after the Oct. 7 terror attacks by Hamas on Israel, the board decided to make the physical security of the Jewish community its highest priority.

“The vibrant life of our community and our ability to continue to contribute to Canadian society while being publicly and proudly Jewish is a defining characteristic of being Jewish in Toronto,” Rosenthal said. “We exist to preserve and strengthen our Jewish way of life in every respect, and our physical security is the core foundation of that way of life.

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“We can’t afford to be complacent and the actions we take when our community strength is tested will ultimately shape our community for decades to come.”

Rosenthal said the new security agency will be independent and professional with its own board of directors.

Greenblatt has been hired as the network’s inaugural boss. He said he has been working to protect the Jewish community in South Africa for decades, both with community groups and the private sector, including as director of operations of the Community Security Organization, a Jewish protection group in Johannesburg.

In a community briefing Thursday, Greenblatt introduced the agency’s plans to enhance security based on a “fundamental principle” of striving for there to be zero casualties from violence.

“We as an organization, and as a community, need to do everything within our power to ensure that we never get to a stage when an incident or an attack happens against our community,” Greenblatt said.

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“We’re not expecting everyone to be trained soldiers. We’re not expecting people to be highly skilled and equipped at every single level, but we are asking that the community and the volunteers in the organization step up and do the fundamental things of security: closing the front door, being vigilant and aware, addressing anything that’s out of the ordinary.

“Community members understand what belongs and what doesn’t.

“The majority of work that we do as security specialists, as volunteers, and even police and security officers, is to prevent the attack from happening by having some fundamentals in place, physical security, the right people with the right attitude and the right levels of training.”

Greenblatt spoke of lessons learned from previous attacks, or foiled attacks, on the Jewish community around the world, such as the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community centre in Argentina. A truck bomb, driven into the centre, killed 85 people.

Greenblatt said that for months before the bombing the community had dithered over a proposal to construct protective concrete bollards in front of the centre’s entrance. Had the infrastructure been strengthen when the need was noted, the attack could have been prevented or its devastation mitigated.

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That is a lesson supporting JSN’s plan for “hardening all our facilities” while “not turning them into prisons, not turning them into compounds,” he said.

Training people in what to do if there is an incident and in identifying suspicious activity to prevent an attack is another mandate.

“It doesn’t have to be scary, but they do have to understand that things like this can happen and it’s our responsibility to prepare our community to prevent these things from happening. So doing active duty, active shooter drills, doing evacuations and evacuations practicing.

“The power of volunteers is an absolutely fundamental element of protecting Jewish communities.”

He cited examples of several attacks that were thwarted by vigilant citizens designated as protectors of events and buildings.

“We don’t dismiss the importance of government or police, or the amazing security officers that work outside our synagogues and our schools,” Greenblatt said at the briefing. “(But) you do not outsource your security to anyone else. You work alongside other people, but you take ownership and responsibility for your own security, for that of your family and loved ones and for that of your community.

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“We are the ones that understand the environment better than anyone else. We are the ones that have the motivation to protect our loved ones, and I’m not asking that the community go and do crazy training and become soldiers and do things like that. All I’m saying is the fundamental things of awareness, of basic training, of understanding the environment, of seeing something-saying something, and doing something about it.”

The JSN became operational in the lead-up to the start of school this month.

Stephanie Sayer, a spokeswoman for Toronto police, said the service supports community efforts to enhance safety and security, “as long as those efforts comply with legal requirements and work in partnership with law enforcement.”

“It is within the prerogative of communities to organize and invest in security initiatives that meet their unique needs. The safety and well-being of all Torontonians is a priority, and we recognize the role that private security agencies can play in contributing to this goal,” she said.

Sayer confirmed Toronto police officers are working with representatives from the JSN, as they do with other community security initiatives.

“Our discussions have focused on ensuring that any private security measures complement public safety efforts, while maintaining open lines of communication.”

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | X: AD_Humphreys

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