December 13, 2024 — New York, NY and Chicago, IL
American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America, announced today a new agreement formalizing and bolstering the organizations’ long-standing and ongoing collaboration.
Jews are currently facing historic levels of antisemitic incidents, including acts of vandalism, harassment, and assault — all of which have increased since Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel. This reality serves as a stark reminder that the Jewish community remains a top target for hate crimes and violence.
Through this new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), SCN and AJC will intensify coordination on relevant policy issues, including hate crimes reporting and faith-based safety and security. The MOA also reaffirms that SCN will assist AJC in safety, security, and resiliency matters to include intelligence and information sharing, physical security assessments, security trainings, incident response, and emergency planning.
The organizations will also build on previous collaborations, such as AJC’s Law Enforcement Guide to Countering Antisemitism, drafted in partnership and consultation with SCN, which aims to empower law enforcement officers and agents across the country to recognize and combat antisemitism effectively.
“AJC’s 2024 Survey of American Jewish Opinion showed 87% of American Jews think that antisemitism has increased in the U.S. after October 7, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “This partnership between SCN and AJC will allow us to better combat this surge and keep the American Jewish community safe, secure, and resilient.”
“The partnership between SCN and AJC allows us to better protect and empower the Jewish community in the face of rising antisemitism, threats, and targeted violence,” said SCN National Director & CEO Michael Masters. “This is another important step in organizations in the Jewish community working more closely to put the needs and concerns of the community first, and renews our shared commitment to confronting the threats facing our community head-on in service of empowering the community to live proudly Jewish lives.”
About American Jewish Committee
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, and 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
About The Secure Community Network
The Secure Community Network (SCN), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America. Founded in 2004 under the auspices of The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, SCN serves as the central organization dedicated exclusively to the safety and security of the American Jewish community, working across 146 federations, 50 partner organizations, over 300 independent communities, and other partners in the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors. SCN is dedicated to ensuring that Jewish organizations, communities, life, and culture can not only exist safely and securely but flourish. Learn more at securecommunitynetwork.org.
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