The U.S. federal government will allocate nearly $150 million more this year to secure religious organizations, a significant boost aimed at addressing a sharp rise in antisemitism following the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Department of Homeland Security announced last week that it would provide $454.5 million this fiscal year through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which supports security enhancements at houses of worship and religious institutions. This marks the largest sum ever allocated to the program, a notable increase from last year’s $305 million.
“The funds announced today will provide communities across the country with vital resources necessary to strengthen their security and guard against terrorism and other threats,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who is Jewish. “The impact of these grants will be measured in lives saved and tragedies averted.”
Jewish organizations, which have historically championed the program since its inception in 2005 with just $25 million, continue to be major recipients of the funding. This year, the program’s expansion comes amid a spike in antisemitic incidents across the country.
“The increased funding is not just financial support; it’s a vital response to the virus of antisemitism spreading across our country,” said Nathan Diament, executive director for public policy at the Orthodox Union. “OU Advocacy spearheaded the creation of the NSGP, and we will continue fighting every day to make sure Jewish synagogues and schools can protect themselves.”
Initially, the program was set to receive only $274.5 million as part of a bipartisan budget deal, but Jewish groups lobbied for more support. Their efforts led to an additional $180 million being included in legislation providing aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.
“We were very concerned that the original level appropriated for this lifesaving program would fall short amid the unprecedented spike in antisemitism, which is why we worked closely with appropriators and congressional leadership to include additional funds in the security supplemental,” Karen Paikin Barall, vice president of government relations for Jewish Federations of North America told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Those additional $180 million in nonprofit security funds will make an enormous impact on our community’s security.”
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One Response
And how much of this money will go to protect mosques and other Moslem sites that need no protection and should instead be under police surveillance?
America’s problem is antisemitism, not “bigotry”, and certainly not “Islamophobia” (even if there were such a thing).