In light of the crisis in Israel, there is a strong need to keep Jewish day schools in the U.S. safe, as antisemitism in America is on the rise.

Teach Coalition is a division of the Orthodox Union (OU) dedicated to advocating for government funding and resources for nonpublic schools. Teach Coalition has met with heads of schools, lay leaders, community members, law enforcement, and local elected officials about any present threats and the safety measures they are taking.

In response, officials in New York, New Jersey, California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida have provided extra security and support for Jewish communities, including the below.

Teach Coalition has also recently announced the launch of a new security initiative, Project Protect, which is a nationwide effort to secure and protect Jewish communities and sites, including schools, by advocating for government security funding, and guiding Jewish institutions through the security grant application and implementation process to ensure they get all the funding they are entitled to. As a part of this new initiative, Project Protect will advocate for $1 billion nationally in government security funding for at-risk nonprofits in the coming year.

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• In New York, Governor Hochul and Attorney General Tish James participated in separate special security briefings with our yeshivas and Jewish day school leaders, in addition to NYC’s Mayor Adams who hosted an in-person roundtable discussion.
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• In New Jersey, NJ Attorney General Matt Platkin convened yeshivas and Jewish day schools for a security briefing.
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• In Maryland, Homeland Security directed more patrols and more coordination between state and local enforcement. In addition, Maryland’s Director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, Brigadier General Adam R. Flasch, convened a meeting with yeshiva and Jewish day school leaders.
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• In Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro immediately extended the deadline for nonprofits to apply for security grants and strong communication across all levels of law enforcement.
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• In California, officials increased security and patrols at Jewish institutions across the state.
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• In Florida, schools received extra protection from Florida Highway Patrol with an armed guard stationed at their location all day today, and the Dept. of Education expedited the release of this year’s Jewish Day School security grant so schools can better protect their teachers and students.
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