H eadlines
New Nonprofit Offers Security Training
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
remembers them, were illustra-
tions of the “terrible things the
Nazis did.”
“My deep thought was,
‘Never again,’” Rakhman said.

“Never again that they will
slaughter Jews like animals.”
The Bucks County resident’s
historical memory reminded
him that Jews could always
be blamed. And this modern
era of turbulent events, like
COVID-19, reminded him
that they could be again, at
any time, for any traumatic
incident. “We know what’s happened
in Egypt, Babylon, Spain,
France, Russia, Poland,”
Rakhman said. “Sometimes the
young generation can forget it.”
According to Rakhman,
though, remembering is not
enough. Jewish communities
also need to act.

JEPP’s guiding principle
is that Jews should assume
that antisemitic incidents will
happen. Therefore, taking
precautions on a perennial
basis is necessary.

As Savett explained, no
one can know exactly when
such attacks will occur. But if
a community has structures
in place to handle crises, its
See Security, Page 7
M LE
OO LAB
DR AI
BE V
2 TS A
I UN
U PPE R DU BL I N
! SECURITY HAS BECOME a
priority for the Jewish commu-
nity in recent years.

In October, the Jewish
Federations of North America
announced a $54 million effort
to help local Jewish commu-
nities secure their buildings.

JFNA President and CEO Eric
Fingerhut called it “a perma-
nent new cost to the Jewish
community.” But security, according to
a new Philadelphia nonprofit,
the Jewish
Emergency Preparedness Project, goes
deeper than cameras, locks
and other equipment to protect
buildings. Security, at its
deepest level, means people
who are prepared to defend
themselves. Rakhman and Savett want
Jews to be ready for severe
storms, overt antisemitism,
missing persons, active shooters
and riots, among other poten-
tially dangerous events.

Yoni Ari, JEPP’s interim
CEO, recommends
that organizations start with a risk
assessment and the develop-
ment of an emergency protocol.

Savett believes that, to stay
ready, Jewish communities
should organize two training
sessions per year.

JEPP is ready to offer
security experts who can help
with both.

“This is an ongoing thing,”
Ari said. “To help the Jewish
community build resiliency.”
Recent tragedies, like the
2018 Tree of Life synagogue
complex shooting in Pittsburgh
and the 2019 Poway synagogue
shooting in
California, N
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OD L
EL EA
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OP G
EN !
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Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia President Michael Balaban
addresses the audience at JEPP’s initial conference in November.

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Photo by Yoni Ari
That’s why two area residents
and Jewish Federation of
Greater Philadelphia donors
Vitaly Rakhman and Sherrie
Savett are starting JEPP. The
nonprofit will offer emergency
preparedness training to Jewish
organizations in the region,
including synagogues, commu-
nity centers and schools.

The Jewish Federation is a
partner in the effort.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM reinforced that need in the
consciousness of American
Jewish leaders.

But the idea for JEPP
came from the life experience
of Rakhman. The Russian
immigrant’s great-grand-
parents were killed in the
Nazi-perpetrated Babi Yar
massacre of more than 30,000
Jews in Ukraine.

His childhood books, as he
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JEWISH EXPONENT
DECEMBER 23, 2021
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