Following what she claims is a “disturbing rise in antisemitism and hate crimes”, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called for additional funding to protect synagogues, Jewish community centers, mosques, and other religious or non-profit institutions that are at high risk of terrorist attacks. Gillibrand on Wednesday requested that $500 million in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) program be included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. NSGP provides grant funding to at-risk institutions to strengthen security measures and help make sure everyone can worship without fear.
Last year, the FBI recorded more than 11,000 hate crime incidents, the most since it started collecting this data in 1991. This includes 1,124 incidents of anti-Jewish hate crime. Since Hamas launched its attack on Israel, there have been reports of growing antisemitism and antisemitic incidents from around the country, and a recent attack on a Palestinian family in Illinois left a 6-year-old boy dead and his mother hospitalized.
Gillibrand says additional funding for the NSGP would help protect these and other communities. Organizations can use NSGP funds to invest in a variety of security measures, including installing physical target hardening measures like gates and motion lights, conducting preparedness and prevention planning exercises, and contracting security personnel. In Fiscal Year 2023, New York received nearly $38 million in NSGP funding – the most of any state. Nevertheless, not all organizations that applied for funding received it. Gillibrand’s push would help meet the growing demand.
“Over the last few years, we have seen a steady and disturbing rise in hate crimes across the country and at home in New York,” said Senator Gillibrand. “And as the crisis in the Middle East worsens, we are likely to see threats to Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities grow. I am calling on Congress to provide $500 million in federal funding to make sure that synagogues, mosques, and other at-risk organizations can upgrade security measures and guard against potential terror attacks. Every American has the right to worship freely and without fear. I’m committed to making sure they can.”
