Securing our Synagogues and Protecting Jews of Color Don’t Have to Be at Odds

A small but vocal group has asserted that the “more security” approach threatens the well-being and belonging of Jewish people of color.

Mijal Bitton, Isaiah Rothstein

January 20, 2022

January 20, 2022

Mijal Bitton

Dr. Mijal Bitton is a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, and the Rosh Kehilla (communal leader) and co-founder of the Downtown Minyan in New York City. Mijal received a BA from Yeshiva University and earned her doctorate from New York University, where she conducted an ethnographic study of a Syrian Jewish community with a focus on developing the field of contemporary Sephardic studies in America. She is an alumna of the

Isaiah Rothstein

Racism, Antisemitism, Politics

Jews across America are still reeling from this past Shabbat when a rabbi and three congregants were held at gunpoint by an antisemitic terrorist in Colleyville, Texas. In response to these harrowing events, many institutions have suggested painful but obvious conclusions: Invest in security for Jews, work with law enforcement, fortify houses of worship, and train volunteers and professionals to ensure emergency preparedness.

But this response has not been universal. A small but vocal group has asserted that the “more security” approach threatens the well-being and belonging of Jewish people of color.

Read the full opinion piece on JTA