Washington, D.C.  – In continuing his fight to protect nonprofit organizations at high risk of terrorist attack, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) led a letter signed by 34 of his House colleagues urging the co-chairs of the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security to fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $19 million in the FY2015 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.  The letter cites a string of anti-Semitic attacks, including the firebombing of synagogues in Bergen County, as the need for increased security funding.

“Several recent events illustrate the vulnerability of non-profits such as houses of worship to terrorism and hate crimes,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “In 2011, a string of anti-Semitic hate crimes targeting synagogues in Northern New Jersey culminated in arson when an incendiary device was thrown through the window of an Orthodox temple, that was the home of a Rabbi, his wife, five children and father. These incidents highlight the continuing need for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which was designed precisely so that at-risk nonprofit organizations that serve as community centers can acquire and install equipment to secure themselves against a potential terrorist attack.”

The Nonprofit Security Grant program saw an increase from $10 million for FY 2013 to $13 million for FY2014.