Protecting Jewish Life in St. Louis

Shabbat Shalom, 

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting in a meeting when my phone began to light up. Message after message came in asking the same questions: “Is St. Louis on lockdown?” “Is your community ok?” 

News had just broken about the attack at Temple Israel in Detroit. Like so many moments over the past months, often before we had all the details about the event, our immediate instinct was to check on one another and make sure others were safe, even across different communities. 

But what struck me most was something deeply unsettling: the reaction no longer felt shocking. It felt familiar. 

We are living through a period marked by war in Israel, growing division within our own communities, and a steady drumbeat of antisemitic incidents across the United States. Alerts like the one yesterday arrive on our phones and our first question is no longer “How could this happen?” but rather “Where did it happen this time?” 

The normalization of antisemitism is something we must refuse to accept. 

Here in St. Louis, we are not standing still in the face of these threats. Under the leadership of Scott Biondo and our Community Security Team, the Jewish Federation invests nearly $2 million each year to help protect Jewish life across our region. Those funds support physical security, training, intelligence sharing, and coordination with law enforcement to ensure our synagogues, schools, and organizations remain safe places for Jewish life to flourish. 

This year, we have made an additional investment in digital security by bringing on an experienced analyst whose job every single day is to monitor online spaces and scour our region for threats. Antisemitism today often begins from behind a keyboard. By identifying concerning language, patterns, and individuals early, we are able to alert law enforcement, notify institutions, and adjust physical security before threats escalate. 

This work happens quietly and often invisibly. But it is happening every day. 

Security, however, cannot be the only answer. 

Combating antisemitism also requires our voices, our civic engagement, and the strength of our allies. We must speak out when antisemitism appears in public discourse. We must educate those who misunderstand our community. And we must show up in the public square; not retreat from it. 

I don’t have words of comfort this week. I have words of action. 

Show up.
Show that we are not afraid.
Live proudly Jewish. 

Fill our synagogues.
Gather for Shabbat.
Support Jewish institutions.
Stand with one another. 

The most powerful response to those who seek to intimidate Jewish life is the continued vibrancy of Jewish life itself. 

As you welcome Shabbat, and every day between, Scott Biondo and our skilled security personnel are working around the clock to protect our community on the ground and online, in constant partnership with law enforcement. 

You can live confidently Jewish, knowing they have your back. 

May this Shabbat bring a moment of peace for all of us, and renewed determination to ensure that Jewish life in St. Louis continues to stand together, proud, and unafraid.