We HAVE to prepare against attacks: Jewish life in America today

When my children walk into our synagogue, the first person they see isn’t a rabbi or friends.It’s a guard with a gun, standing outside.This is how Jewish life works in America today.When we sign our kids up for summer camp, preschool or even a holiday program at our synagogue, there is always a line item on the bill labeled “security.”When my daughter celebrated her bat mitzvah, we had to pay an extra fee for an armed guard outside the building while friends and family gathered.This is simply the cost of Jewish life in America.

But every now and then, something happens that reminds you exactly why that guard is there.On Thursday afternoon in West Bloomfield, Mich., a man drove a vehicle packed with explosives into Temple Israel, one of the largest reform synagogues in the United States.Inside the building, roughly 140 young children attended the synagogue’s preschool. Per authorities, the attacker rammed the building and opened fire before he was ultimately stopped by armed security.A mass-casualty attack against a building full of Jewish children was miraculously avoided because of the bravery and fast thinking of the armed guard inside.What prevented catastrophe was preparation.Just weeks before the attack, the synagogue had hosted FBI training for staff and security personnel on how to respond to an active shooter.That training, combined with the presence of armed guards, meant the difference between tragedy and survival.The thwarted attack was a stark reminder that Jewish institutions operate under a level of threat that most non-Jewish Americans never have to think about.The part that should outrage every American: We’re largely paying for our own protection.Across the country, synagogues and Jewish schools spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year on guards, reinforced doors, surveillance systems and security training.

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