U.S. Jewish groups get most defense funds for nonprofits - Haaretz

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Sun., October 07, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 02:19 (EST+7)

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U.S. Jewish groups get most defense funds for nonprofits

By Shmuel Rosner

ROCKVILLE, Maryland - In Rockville, Jewish activity centers stick out. The Rockville police are in the habit of checking up on them from time to time. Just to make sure everything is all right.

So it came as no surprise to Rabbi Shlomo Beitsh, a Chabadnik from Safed who is currently serving as the resident rabbi at the Chabad Israeli Center of Greater Washington, when a patrol car pulled over in front of the establishment two weeks ago.

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In fact, Rabbi Beitsh had resided in the building with his wife and four children until recently. Now he lives with is family next door. Their former home has become a synagogue, doubling as a kindergarten. It is also an afternoon Hebrew school, an office and many other things, all aimed to serve the vibrant Israeli expatriate community in the Rockville area.

The police were very polite and friendly. They asked who was in charge, wanted to know what was going on and who to contact if the need arose. Just a routine check, they said.

On their next check-up, the officers may notice an improvement in the security arrangements. Congress has recently ordered Homeland Security to allocate some $25 million for the security of non-profit organizations. So Beitsh will now be able to afford security cameras, anti-burglar lights, intercoms and concrete barriers to stop cars. To be sure, this is a synagogue, not a military base.

Beitsh can thank Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania, and Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat from Maryland, for these provisions. They had done most of the work to secure the funding.

Last week, it was revealed that the main beneficiaries - if one can call them that - are the Jews. The vast majority of institutions that received the grant were Jewish, receiving $19 million collectively, or 76 percent of the entire funding. And Beitsh's center is relatively small compared with the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, situated just a couple of streets away.

Pushing for funds

The taxi picks up William Daroff a stone's throw from the White House and makes its way to Congress on Capitol Hill. He has many appointments for the day, and a busy week ahead of him. But he is in a good mood, speaking of "the accomplishment."

As the lobbyist for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, Daroff had pushed, aided, assisted and directed the efforts behind the allocation of funds for the security needs of non-profits.

Even though the legislation for the hike in funds was put in place before Daroff assumed his post, the Department of Homeland Security turned out to be a tough and reluctant customer that needed prodding to release the funds.

Some officials thought of ways to put the money to what they thought was better use. Congress had to give them a vigorous reminder to get the officials to unclench their fists. And that's where Daroff came into the picture.

"In our democracy, government agencies sometimes receive directions from Congress on how to use the funds they had received through their budget," says Daroff.

American Jewish leaders repeatedly say that the community in the United States is the safest and most prosperous in the world. But that seems to contrast with the need for security intercom systems in synagogues. Both the feeling of prosperity and the fear "are reality-based," says Daroff.

Proof of the validity of Daroff's statement are found both in classified intelligence documents and media reports. Jewish institutions are indeed a target. FBI reports show that 69 percent of hate crimes in 2005 were directed at Jews. The previous year was not much better, at 67 percent.

Following 9/11, security forces have learned a great deal about terrorist organizations' intentions to strike at "soft targets" in the United States. Some of these targets are Jewish community institutions.

Of course, the main perpetrators the Jewish community fears most hail from the Muslim community. They do not fear the old variety of racism.

The list of grant recipients for security includes Jewish institutions of all sorts: synagogues, schools and community institutions across the country. The greater Washington area includes 15 Jewish institutions.

"The dominant culture considers it its duty to protect smaller groups that belong to it," says Daroff. "The threat is external." According to Daroff, the increased protection for Jewish institutions is not different than the added security for African-American churches in the South during the days of desegregation.

Ron Halber from the Jewish Community Relations Council in Washington says that "we cannot burry our heads in the sand." According to him, the danger is imminent, and provisions must be made.

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