2009 AnnuAl RepoRt - Jewish Community Relations Council ...

safeguaRding ouR CoMMunitY
fighting Anti-semitism And hAte crimes, monitoring the Activity of hAte groups, investigAting hAte incidents, And counseling victims of discriminAtion.
Safeguarding Our Community works with local, state, and federal law enforcement,
safety, security, and other organizations to develop and implement
monitoring, prevention, response, and education programs. In 2007, the JCRC
received a grant from the United States Department of Homeland Security under
its Urban Areas Security Initiative Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The
JCRC used this grant to implement communications tools that benefit Jewish
organizations throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas.
safeguaRding ouR JewisH CoMMunitY institutions
American Jews will not soon forget the shooting at the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum or the terror plot to blow up two Bronx synagogues in
2009. Those and other anti-Semitic incidents continue to motivate community
leaders to reassess and enhance security protocols. Safeguarding Our Community
works with local, state and federal law enforcement officials to keep our community
safe. We help provide security guidance and serve as the official Jewish
community liaison with law enforcement.
Safeguarding Our Community is also the watchdog of the Jewish community
– fighting on behalf of victims of religious discrimination, educating teachers,
administrators, and businesses about the proper role of religion in public
schools, and sensitizing educators and businesses to the Jewish calendar. When
local organizations, employers, or schools schedule events on Jewish holidays,
Safeguarding Our Community is the place people turn to for help. We connect
with schools in Minnesota and the Dakotas each year to provide information and
guidance about permitted religious activity and requirements to accommodate
religious observances.
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JCRC Annual Report 2009
In July of 2009, a hate “church” based in the Midwest visited the Twin Cities
to protest and spew messages of hate at Jewish institutions. The JCRC led a
coordinated effort to prepare the Jewish community for the arrival of the hate
“church”. JCRC’s Safeguarding Our Community program worked with federal
and local law enforcement to ensure that all of the targeted protest sites were
properly prepared for the hate group’s arrival. As a result of JCRC’s planning
efforts and the excellent law enforcement coordination with the targeted
facilities, there were no incidents.
Dr. Fred Lyon at the University of North Dakota, October 2008
Dr. Lyon, a Kristallnacht survivor, participated in a series of educational programs on campus
in connection with the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Dr. Lyon met with Jewish students
and community members at B’nai Israel Synagogue in Grand Forks. His visit was part of a
response to earlier anti-Semitic incidents on campus.
Below: Dr. Lyon (pictured right) Meeting with Dr. Robert Kelley, President of the
University of North Dakota.