Please Be Aware
As we approach Passover, please remain vigilant. Pittsburgh Bureau of Police is providing additional patrols to better support our Pittsburgh Jewish organizations. For the organizations located outside of the City of Pittsburgh, the respective police departments are aware of the increased threat tempo and have been provided the dates and events related to Passover.
This week, several Pittsburgh-area synagogues received threatening messages online. We then saw some Catholic organizations and other faith-based groups receive similar messaging. FBI Pittsburgh is investigating. These are separate and apart from the hoax bomb threats mentioned in last week’s newsletter. Please see article below for more information.
The Jewish Federation has launched a Virtual Block Watch Program, a volunteer network that can be called upon to provide residential or business video surveillance footage to help prevent, deter, and possibly solve crimes. The program is entirely voluntary and is designed to keep our community safe through collaborative efforts. We are starting this program in Squirrel Hill and will look to expand it from there. For more information, please visit our Virtual Block Watch page.
Year to date in 2024, the Jewish Federation has logged 97 incidents in our Virtual Command Center. This compares to 30 for the same time period in 2023. We remain in a heightened threat environment and are working closely with law enforcement to monitor potential threat activity.
Security Matters in the News This Week
- FBI investigating hoax threats against local Catholic, Jewish organizations (wtae.com)
- Wray says FBI on alert for threats against Jews ahead of Passover (axios.com)
- Jews face unprecedent levels of threat worldwide (jpost.com)
- Rockland County crime: Man arrested after Orthodox Jewish man stabbed multiple times in driveway of Ramapo home (abc7ny.com)
BluePoint Status
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
Guardian Training
Please contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252 to schedule this training.
Situational Awareness, Active Threat, and De-Escalation 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.
Request Training for Your Organization →
If you need more Emergency Safety Procedures Flip Charts contact Erin Fagan at efagan@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5252.
