The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles announced on July 10 that $1.3 million in security grants have been awarded to 55 Jewish nonprofits in Los Angeles.
The grants ranged from $14,000 to $25,000, according to the press release; among the recipients are Adas Torah Synagogue, the Hillels at UCLA and USC, Sinai Temple and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. This effort is a collaboration between the Federation the Foundation received significant funding through an initiative sponsored by The Tepper Foundation’s Emergency Security Fund. The grants are awarded through Jewish Federations of North America.
“At an increasingly dangerous time for Jews here in Los Angeles, these grants provide vital resources to make our community safer,” Rabbi Noah Farkas, the president and CEO of the Federation, said. “Our Federation and Our Community Security Initiative are always here to help the Jewish community. We are extremely grateful for our partnership with the Jewish Community Foundation and to our donors who helped us prioritize security in this moment. Together we will ensure the safety of our beloved Jewish community.”
Rabbi Aaron Lerner, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, also said in a statement: “We enjoy incredibly diverse and thriving Jewish life here in Los Angeles. These security grants – based on the Jewish value of pikuach nefesh (saving a life) – help ensure that we can continue to build and celebrate even amidst efforts to sow fear.”
The issue of security grants for Jewish nonprofits has become front and center following the anti-Israel riot in front of Adas Torah Synagogue on June 23, as it was discussed during a June 27 Zoom webinar hosted by the Federation. During the webinar, City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky announced that she had introduced a motion on June 26 calling for $1 million in security grants for Jewish institutions; according to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles City Council will instead vote on $2 million grants on July 31 to protect religious communities broadly. Yaroslavsky called the new proposal “appropriate and necessary change to ensure that all faith communities across Los Angeles are able to access these funds while also addressing the urgent need to increase the security of Jewish institutions.”
