The Community Security Service (CSS) seeks to protect the people, institutions and events of the American Jewish community, including the many regions served by The Jewish Link. In light of recent raised terror threats and security concerns throughout the world, I reached out to Deena Seelenfreund, CSS’s New Jersey regional manager and David Dabscheck, CSS’s founder and president.

As I have become aware of the group from prior interviews, CSS is generally viewed as a full community partner; a nonprofit organization comprised of over 3,000 members, driven by a strong ethos to help protect the entire Jewish community. Shuls and institutions often turn to CSS as their security partner because of their impressive track record and their unique perspective of being from the community. In a wide-ranging conversation with CSS, I asked a number of questions relevant to Jewish communal security. The Q&A appears below, and for more information on CSS you can visit their website at www.thecss.org or email [email protected].

EK: The world seems to be getting more dangerous for Jewish institutions by the day. Is that a sense you are getting also? In what ways could the concerns be substantive and in what ways might they be alarmist or unsubstantiated? How do we tell the difference, and what do we do if a member of the general community sees something funny or receives a real threat?

CSS: Due to the number of terrorist incidents both in the U.S. and overseas there has been a tremendous spike in demand for our services over the last 12 months. From schools to synagogues, from the tri-state region to cities across the U.S., Jewish institutions have increasingly been concerned about their security and are particularly searching for a community-based solution that CSS provides. This makes much sense since engaging volunteers from the community in their own security not only provides quantitative savings, but also qualitatively better security. It allows synagogues and others to offer a more robust, effective and sustainable model than the piecemeal approaches many currently have in place.

There are real security threats to the community. For instance, ISIS is attempting to recruit Americans, using Facebook and other mobile messaging applications which are encrypted that makes it harder for law enforcement agencies to locate them. There is no direct profile of what a terrorist looks like, the only way to profile these individuals is behaviorally, which CSS teams are trained to look for. The game plan of these and other groups is typically to hit “soft” (i.e. lightly secured) targets. Synagogues and Jewish institutions are unfortunately often soft targets. CSS works to protect and secure synagogues and Jewish communities to deter and detect those seeking to do harm before an incident occurs.

Jews are also the most common target of religious hate crimes. According to FBI statistics in 2014, almost 60 percent of all religious hate crimes target Jews, which is three times more than that of the next group.

However, CSS’s approach should not be understood as condoning or encouraging the creation of a fortress-like or alarmist mentality. Indeed, our openness and embrace of others is the great strength of the Jewish community and the United States. Rather, we seek to foster a “culture of responsibility” and to provide a response to these security threats that is both empowering and effective.

EK: What is characterized as something suspicious that should be noted, flagged or reported?

CSS: Anything or anyone out of the ordinary, like a suspicious individual lurking around your synagogue, taking photos and taking notes. This behavior, taken together with physical characteristics, such as a sweaty and nervous appearance, may signal a suspicious individual. This is called surveillance and is done in the planning stages of almost any attack. Even petty criminals are caught on video surveillance testing out the crime area and doing their own surveillance before carrying out their crime. For example, in 2014, video surveillance cameras caught hatchet-wielding Zale Thompson conducting surveillance on NYPD officers before he attacked them.

If you feel something appears to be out of the ordinary, trust your instincts and do not hesitate to report it. Law enforcement will review and determine whether to investigate further. Fundamental to CSS’s approach is partnering and sharing our information and incident reports in real time with law enforcement, as well as other Jewish communities in our network. The CSS network is a real-time network encompassing all CSS synagogues and the CSS global operations team. In the event of an incident, locally or globally, all CSS shuls and institutions are notified in real time.

**See the sidebar above for additional information on what to look for and how and where to report suspicious activity.

EK: What are some of the basic tenets of the CSS and what sort of skills or traits do your volunteers need to have in common before they start training?

CSS: Our approach is simple: making Jewish communities stronger and safer. To do this we look for volunteers who have a strong commitment to community service and helping others, intelligence and good judgment, and complete professionalism in dealings with others. We train volunteers from across the Jewish community who might have little security experience and turn them into proficient protectors. Volunteers know their own institutions better than anyone else; they are educated, sharp and committed to protecting their family and friends who are inside.

We have a robust training program where we train on multiple levels, from beginner to advanced. We train together with law enforcement and attend Homeland Security briefings. We attend security seminars sponsored by federal agencies and work with local law enforcement and other security organizations on drills and “table top” exercises.

EK: How does CSS bridge the gap between paid (24/7) security services and other security that a shul or Jewish institution might have (in some cases, no paid security at all)? Is there a financial investment that a shul needs to make to join the CSS family? Are there materials or technology required that needs to be installed?

CSS: Good security needs a holistic approach, including everything from physical capabilities (such as cameras and locks) to operational assets (such as CSS teams and trained staff and custodians). CSS teams play an indispensable role in this architecture since they deploy during highest risk times and have the cultural familiarity to better identify suspicious behavior and out-of-place objects in their environments, thereby addressing a situation long before it escalates into a serious incident. As mentioned previously, we seek to foster a “culture of responsibility” around security. Participation from so-called “ordinary people” (who are simultaneously the most affected and most able to contribute to their security) should be the cornerstone of any security approach. Only when a janitor, parent, student or congregant notices something odd and notifies proper respondents will we have fully utilized our best asset—people.

Since CSS is a nonprofit organization, we do our best to keep the financial responsibilities of our congregations and institutions as low as possible.

EK: What are some pointers that all people attending a shul or Jewish institution might employ to stay safe?

CSS: Be alert, notice anything, anyone out of the ordinary. Report any suspicious packages, behavior, individuals or vehicles in real time. Get a license plate number of any suspicious vehicles. When a shul signs up with CSS we also help them with security suggestions and recommendations.

EK: Tell me about the people who volunteer for CSS? Are there more women than men who volunteer? Are more men or women needed in particular?

CSS: We believe that since security affects the entire Jewish community, it is everyone’s responsibility. Thus, our membership is open to anyone in the Jewish community (contingent on passing an interview and background check). As a result, we are proud that our membership includes the full diversity of the American Jewish community—young and old, secular and religious, men and women. Each team reflects the demographics of the synagogue or community from which it is drawn.

EK: Can you talk a bit about the heterim you have to secure shuls and to use the phone or other security devices on Shabbos when necessary? Is there one rabbi in particular who works closely with CSS nationally, or do the members speak directly with the shul rabbi if they have a question?

CSS: We do not discuss details of any equipment that our teams utilize. Depending on each individual’s training and based on CSS recommendations, equipment varies by shul, by event and by venue.

We have heterim from prominent rabbis, and our synagogue outreach team presents to synagogue board members, officers and rabbis. We have a CSS member who is both a rabbi and an engineer who can discuss in depth any halachic issues. CSS will not work with any synagogue unless the rabbi has agreed to the heter.

Certainly the trend over the last year has been towards more and more rabbis providing heterim based on the principle of pikuach nefesh.

By Elizabeth Kratz

Safety Tips From the CSS

The Five Ws: What to remember when reporting:

• What is happening?

• Who is doing it?

• Where it is taking place?

• When did you observe it?

• Why are you suspicious?

Report Suspicious Activity to:

Phone: 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ of 211

LE Direct: CT Watch (609) 963-6817

Email: [email protected] //