Please Be Aware
This week, the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, and a coalition of four local rabbis filed a legal challenge to a petition filed last week seeking to place a question on the upcoming ballot to amend the Pittsburgh City Home Rule Charter in response to a recently submitted petition for a referendum on the Pittsburgh City ballot. The proposed referendum seeks to determine whether the city should engage in a boycott of Israel and prohibit investments and public funds from being allocated to “entities that conduct business operations with or in the state of Israel unless and until Israel ends its military action in Gaza.” Please see the press release here.
As we anticipate protest activity on college campuses, we have seen that federal judges are weighing in on their illegality. Please see the first article below for a story on this. Please know we are working closely with our universities, local police and city leaders to ensure that students are safe.
Investigation continues to progress positively into the threatening targeted antisemitic graffiti at Chabad of Squirrel Hill, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and two Squirrel Hill residences. Please know that there are no known threats of violence at this time related to this.
Year to date 2024, the Jewish Federation has logged 187 incidents in our Virtual Command Center. This compares to 177 year to date 2023. We remain in a heightened threat environment and are working closely with law enforcement to monitor potential threat activity. Please continue to report any suspicious incidents via the Incident Report Form.
Security Matters in the News This Week
- UCLA can’t allow protesters to block Jewish students from campus, judge rules (apnews.com)
- Cornell student sentenced to 21 months for online threats against Jewish students (cnycentral.com)
- Secure Community Network releases guidance to protect college students (jns.org)
BluePoint Status
This week we will be starting the installation of BluePoint at JFCS and Weinberg Terrace locations.
Please review your current contact lists in BluePoint. If changes are needed, please contact Erin Fagan at [email protected].
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
Navigating Digital Threats: Strategies to Prevent Online Child Exploitation
Ahead of the next school year, please join the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse for a virtual training on preventing and responding to online child exploitation in K-12 communities. This session will feature a panel discussion with experts from the U.S. Department of Justice and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who will share valuable tools and resources to combat online child exploitation and educate teachers, students and families.
Guardian Training
Please contact Erin Fagan at [email protected] 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 [email protected] or 412-992-5252. All can be made available in person or via Zoom.
Request Training for Your Organization →
If you need Go Bags, Emergency Safety Procedures Flip Charts or medical supplies contact Erin Fagan at [email protected] or 412-992-5252.
