I’m writing this from 30,000 feet in the air, en route to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a yearly event featuring all genres of music and great food over two weekends. New Orleans is one of my favorite U.S. cities, and I think it is hands down in the top three for most unique Am…
The Jewish communities of Oregon are fortunate to have access to $250,000 per year to defray security costs for a three-year cycle that began in late 2024. These funds, granted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, were fundraised from the community as part of a matching grant agreem…
I’ve fielded a lot of questions in the past week following the car ramming at the Michigan synagogue. You’ve probably read that Temple Israel is one of, if not the, largest Reform synagogues in the U.S. It has a huge campus, over 12,000 members, and I’m sure it’s a challenge to keep …
I don’t know where the time goes, but it’s been nearly two years since I wrote an article about cyber safety and security. It’s been on my mind since my dad clicked on a link in an email from a “friend.” The email was in his junk mailbox (clue #1), it was someone he hadn’t spoken…
Security improvements for organizations should always be made with consideration for the particular space, in its particular place, with its unique vulnerabilities. However, it is worth noting what other organizations are doing and new technologies that are available. Secure Community Netw…
This past week’s events in Minneapolis prompted me to reflect on a recent consultation I conducted with one of our community’s organizations regarding ICE activity. The organization wanted to make a plan in the event ICE attempted to enter its space. For most of our organizations, the ch…
At the end of my previous article about the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) community meeting, I shared some good news about Portland’s 911 response. I recently had to call 911 for a medical (but not life or death) emergency occurring in a local coffee shop and was on the phone with a live pe…
The Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has consistently been a strong partner to the Jewish community. This care was evident last week during a community meeting with Sgt. Matt Jacobsen, of PPB’s Bias Crime Unit. When approached about coordinating a meeting between law enforcement entities and t…
In any community, knowing how to respond in a moment of crisis can improve the chances of positive outcomes. This is especially true when it comes to cardiac arrest, as almost 2200 people a day suffer heart attacks in the US. Statistically, at some point, you will know someone who has one. …
Last week, P’nai Or hosted a screening of "A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting" at Eastside Jewish Commons. This HBO documentary recounts the story of the October 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation, which also served as the home for Dor Hadash and the New Light Co…
I recently returned from the 2025 Homeland Security Summit, an annual meeting of community security directors across the US and Canada. We number almost 120 now, and 18 of them began after our 2024 conference. As I’ve said before, we’re all connected throughout the year, but seeing each …
Now that the High Holidays are over, I’m happy to share that my weekly safety and security training series is back on Zoom. Here’s the link so you can head over there right now and register! https://jewishportland.org/events/security-training. I’ve spoken before about the challenges of…
I ran a similar version of this article back in 2023, and it seems like a good time to revisit the topic. Organizations and individuals are deep in the High Holidays, and it’s not the time to stop mid-stream and re-vamp your safety plans. But it is time to assess if you are finding any gap…
In mid-August, the Secure Community Network (SCN) announced an extensive expansion of the threat management and information-sharing capabilities for the Jewish community. Currently, SCN’s analytical capabilities are enabled through a single location – Chicago, IL. When you report inciden…
A few weeks ago, I shared that Michael Bivins was finally convicted of charges stemming from his vandalism of Shir Tikvah, Beth Israel, Everybody Eats PDX, and the Muslim Community Center of Portland. On July 10, a jury took four hours to find him guilty of his bias crimes.
His sentencing i…
