The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s security fund will pay for armed security at area synagogues and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh for the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah (Sept. 30–Oct.1) and Yom Kippur (Oct. 8¬–9).

“Our community is very safe, but we understand that people going to Jewish worship services need to feel secure after the attack on three of our congregations last year and that many of our synagogues have taken on added security expenses. We want to be helpful to them.”

Jeffrey Finkelstein, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

A volunteer committee that allocates Jewish Federation’s security fund wanted to make sure that synagogues have security given that many people will be returning to Jewish religious services for the first time since the attack.

“We are working closely with police from municipalities across the greater Pittsburgh area to coordinate efforts,” said Brad Orsini, Director of Community Security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

The Jewish Federation does not currently plan to pay for synagogue security personnel for future holidays or events. However, the Jewish Federation’s Security Committee is working on several new community-wide initiatives to continue to increase the level of security coordination among Jewish organizations and synagogues.