Each of 11 Jewish organizations in Queens, N.Y., is slated to receive $150,000—for a combined $1.65 million—in funding through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) announced on Tuesday.
That amount is the maximum awarded per institution under the program, the congresswoman stated.
“I am proud to represent a vibrant Jewish community that calls Queens home. They deserve to feel safe and secure, no matter where they go to school or worship,” Meng told JNS. “I am pleased that many local synagogues, schools and nonprofits have received money from this program over the last several years and continue to do so.”
Meng noted that she is the senior member of the state’s House Appropriations Committee, which funds the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).
“I’m proud to have helped secure funding for this critical program to help my constituents stay out of harm’s way as the number of antisemitic hate crimes in New York continues to rise,” she told JNS. “I will keep up the fight for even money to help improve safety in our borough, city and nation.”
The funding “provides houses of worship and nonprofit entities with federal funds to enhance the safety and security of their properties so that they can guard against threats and attacks,” Meng stated in a release. “The funds cover target-hardening and other physical security enhancements such as barriers, gates, safety gear, surveillance equipment and other safety measures.”
She said that she helped secure “an unprecedented” $305 million last December for the NSGP this year. That represents an increase of $55 million (22%) over the previous year.
Meng has been outspoken on the danger of antisemitism in the past.
The awardees of the security grants are Congregation Etz Hayim at Hollis Hills Bayside; Kehilat Sephardim of Ahavat Achim; Queens Jewish Center and Talmud Torah; Young Israel of Hillcrest; Young Israel of Kew Garden Hills; B’Above Worldwide Institute; Jewish Institute of Queens; Yeshiva Ketana of Queens; Yeshiva Tifereth Moshe; Chabad Lubavitch Community Center of Northeast Queens; and Utopia Jewish Center.
It wasn’t immediately clear which organization received funding on behalf of the Utopia Jewish Center, which closed permanently in 2019. The school Ganeinu Academy now operates at the center’s former address.
