Mass. puts $1 million towards security for houses of worship, nonprofits
“The sobering reality is that violent anti-Semitism has come roaring back."
Amid the rise of reported anti-Semitic incidents in Massachusetts, state lawmakers have put aside over $1 million to bolster security efforts for houses of worship and other nonprofits at risk of being the target of a hate crime.
The influx of new money into the Commonwealth Nonprofit Safety Grant Program was highlighted Monday, as Gov. Charlie Baker ceremonially signed sections of the recently passed surplus budget that triples funding for the initiative.
“Massachusetts is a welcoming community that embraces people of all faiths, and it’s important that people across the Commonwealth have the opportunity to come together with neighbors and worship without fear,” Baker, who was joined by religious leaders from across the state, said in a statement. “These funds will assist houses of worship and other community-based institutions across the state in preserving their safety from those who would do them harm.”
In total, the program will put aside over $1.4 million in funding, which is made available for recipients to buy and install “technology, equipment, and other resources to safeguard them from acts of violence,” officials said. The initiative, previously budgeted for $500,000, has garnered an additional $1 million under the supplemental budget.
Each grant is capped at $50,000, and spending is limited to certain types of items, such as surveillance cameras, exterior doors and locks, P.A. systems, alarms, fencing, lighting, access control systems, and emergency first aid supplies, among others, according to an overview available on the state’s website.
Money cannot be spent on grant writers, employee salaries and benefits, firearms and ammunition, vehicles, office furniture, or major construction projects, the document says.
Applicants who demonstrate “the greatest need and cost-effective solutions” receive priority, officials said.
“No American, no matter whom they pray to or where they gather, should be concerned for their safety in a house of worship,” state Senate President Karen Spilka — present Monday alongside House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg — said in a statement.
“While it saddens me that these additional security measures are necessary, I am heartened to know we are making these investments today to better prepare our non-profit intuitions and protect our residents. I hope to see the Commonwealth join together to fight back against the hate crimes, anti-religious acts and violent rhetoric that is spreading across the country,” she said.
Both nationally and locally, acts of anti-Semitism have risen in recent years. In 2018, Massachusetts saw 144 reported cases, ranging from harassment and vandalism to assault, according to statistics from the Anti-Defamation League. Three years earlier, 50 cases were recorded in the Commonwealth.
Last year, an arsonist lit two fires at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life of Arlington-Belmont, and a third arson case was committed against the Chabad Jewish Center in Needham.
In 2018, a gunman shot and killed 11 people and wounded six others inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Last month, a man broke into a Hanukkah celebration in New York, stabbing five people.
“The sobering reality is that violent anti-Semitism has come roaring back,” Jeremy Burton, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said in a statement.
Speaking to the grant allocations, Burton said there is a “dire need for these vital security enhancements for the Jewish community and other targeted communities.”
“We are gratified that our highest elected officials, the leaders of faith communities, and philanthropists who are leading the way in building the welfare of our civil society, are working to push anti-Semitism and other forms of hate back into the closets from which it has reemerged,” he said.
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