Please Be Aware

Secure Community Network (SCN) has logged 772 incident reports in October, the highest amount it its near 20-year history of tracking data, a 109% increase from the 368 incident reports logged in September. Note that 19% of the October incidents originated from campus settings, with 149 documented instances of incidents like harassment, violence, and death threats, among others (see below article for more information).

We are continuing to engage with our college campuses to ensure the safety of our students, and are in close collaboration with law enforcement, public safety, and the FBI.

In Pittsburgh, YTD the Jewish Federation has logged 242 incidents in our Virtual Command Center, this compares to 122 incidents for the entire year of 2022.

For those of you planning to attend the March for Israel on Nov 14th in Washington D.C., please know that there have been extensive security measures taken though federal interagency support, in correlation with local and state officials. Please exercise good situational awareness and have a communication plan in place.

Please be advised Jacob Poole has been posting his Eugenics flyers again throughout South Side, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and other surrounding areas. Mr. Poole claims to be Jewish and claims to be looking for services and help within the community. If he contacts you via email, phone or in person, please let us know. He is not known to be a threat to the community.

REMINDER: We are in a heightened threat environment and are working in close collaboration with law enforcement to monitor potential threat activity. There are no known or direct threats related to our Pittsburgh Jewish community. Continue to be vigilant; report suspicious behavior to 911 and then the Jewish Federation via the Incident Report at jewishpgh.org/form/incident-report.

Security Matters in the News This Week

• “Terrorist” woman allegedly plowed car into what she thought was Jewish school: cops (nypost.com)
• Secure Community Network Logs Record High Antisemitic Incident Reports in October (securecommunitynetwork.org)
• Violent antisemitism forced Cornell to cancel classes. Enough is enough.   |The Hill (thehill.com)
• FBI Investigating After UPenn Staffers Received ‘Vile’ Antisemitic Threats (huffpost.com)

BluePoint Status

As we are back-to-school, please review your current contact lists in BluePoint. If changes are needed, please contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org.

Our BluePoint training video and refresher video are available on YouTube. These are useful for new staff or as a reminder for existing staff.

Security Resources and/or Training

De-Escalation Training

Please contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252 to schedule this training.

Situational Awareness, Active Threat, and Usher/Greeter Training

If you or your organization have not yet had these training modules, please contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252. All can be made available in person or via Zoom.

If you need more Emergency Safety Procedures Flip Charts contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252.