High Holidays start early this year, and organizations are deep into planning. There are many elements at play when ensuring a safe and secure series of observances across so many days. Hours of work go into creating a seamless unfolding of the Holidays.

Behind the scenes, to most community members, Secure Community Network is committed to helping organizations plan well and thoughtfully. This includes informational webinars on planning, accessibility issues, lessons learned from past events, and current best practices for secure events. These webinars are all free and are archived on the SCN website for later watching on our website or YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/SCNUS1. If you register for the webinars, you will be notified with a link to the video recording once it’s published. If you’re an organizational leader, these webinars can provide helpful insights into improving your planning. If you’re a community member, it can help you understand what your community needs from you to keep others safe.

Upcoming webinars include Protecting Every Congregant: Emergency Preparedness in Practice on Tuesday, 25 August 2026 at 11 am PDT at tinyurl.com/SCNPrep1 and Final Preparations and Last-Minute Questions: Ensuring Readiness, Security, and Empowerment for the High Holidays on Thursday, 03 September 2026 at 11 am PDT at tinyurl.com/SCNPrep2.

Additionally, SCN will host training webinars on skills pertinent to the High Holidays. Every community member should join some of these basic classes once a year. The knowledge is critical, not just for Jewish community life, but for your daily living out in the world. These courses are basic safety and security skills, usher/greeter training, and Guardian, which focuses on how to identify and respond to a variety of security issues. The core curriculum includes BeAware: Introduction to Situational Awareness and Countering Active Threat Training (CATT). Our usher/greeter course, The Power of Hello, is a program for volunteers to more effectively assess event attendees in a welcoming way as they enter your spaces.

Guardian will be presented on Tuesday, 18 August 2026 at 11am PT and 5:30pm PT and The Power of Hello on Tuesday, 01 September 2026 at 11am PT and 5:30pm PT. Registration links can be found at securecommunitynetwork.org/resources/high-holidays-safety-and-security-webinar-series. Training webinars are NOT recorded, but if you miss the classes, reach out, and we can schedule training for your team. If you’re a community member, I offer all the training classes online and you can find registrations here, on the JFGP website at jewishportland.org/events/security-training.