Nearly 45 American Jewish groups called on the federal government to increase the annual funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program dramatically—to $1 billion, from $274.5 million in 2024.
The 44 groups released a statement calling for the massive boost on Thursday, the day after a gunman killed two Israeli embassy staffers as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
The funding for the program, which includes security for Jewish sites, in 2024 represented a 10% cut over the prior year’s $305 million, although there have been supplemental monies assigned.
“Last night, our community lost Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, two shining lights who believed in service to their communities, to a cowardly act of hate-fueled domestic terrorism,” the groups stated.
They added that the murders were “the direct consequence of rising antisemitic incitement in places such as college campuses, city council meetings and social media that has normalized hate and emboldened those who wish to do harm.”
“The rising level of anti-Jewish incitement, which inevitably leads to violent acts like the one in Washington, D.C., yesterday, requires governmental action commensurate with the level of danger,” they stated, referring to the shooting on May 21.
The Jewish Federations of North America, B’nai B’rith International, American Jewish Committee, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and AIPAC were among the signatories, which included groups from the three major Jewish denominations.
The groups noted that applying for the federal grants can be “cumbersome and lacks transparency” and ought to be “made more flexible and accessible” to “ensure funds are disbursed quickly.”
“Last year, only 43% of applicants received funding,” the groups noted.
The groups also urged the government to increase funding for security personnel at Jewish institutions, including schools, synagogues, Jewish centers and camps, and called on the FBI to bolster its intelligence capabilities to counter domestic terrorism. (The grants are currently available for use to “harden” sites but not to hire security officers.)
“The demands on local and state law enforcement far outpace their capacity to meet the need, which disproportionately affects targeted communities like the American Jewish community,” the groups stated.
They also called for the government to prosecute antisemitic hate crimes more forcefully and to hold online platforms accountable for Jew-hatred.
“All Americans have the right to feel safe and secure,” they wrote. “This is a problem not just for the Jewish community but for every American community.”
