I was sitting at Kiddish lunch on January 15th, 2022 when one of the congregants rushed in and announced there had been hostages taken at a synagogue in Colleyville only a couple hours north. Chills went down my spine. It was very clear that antisemitism had the capacity to affect me, my community, my friends.
I founded the Jewish Security Alliance to provide Jewish teens with the skills they need to protect themselves and their communities against anti-semitic threats. Through our situational awareness programs, we teach a whole host of strategies and skills, whether that’s self-defense skills, exit strategies, or first aid.
I partner with trainers who are former law enforcement, whether that’s FBI or police, not only in my community, but in communities all across the country to provide this crucial training to as many Jewish youth as possible. My goal is to make sure Jewish youth feel safe in their schools, in their synagogues, in their Jewish communities, so we can continue being unapologetically Jewish and proud.