New York’s Charedi Community: "Security Is Our Responsibility"

From a reader:

Fascinating. So let me get this straight – per the author, it’s perfectly fine – even laudable – to make security arrangements for Frum institutions in the US. However – per Chareidi theology, it is absolutely, totally, 100% assur to send their members to defend the lives of their fellow Jews in Israel via the IDF.

What’s wrong with this picture??
 By Joseph Feldman

Thursday’s attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, should send shockwaves through the Jewish world—especially the Charedi community in New York.

A car crashed into the synagogue and authorities feared an active shooter situation. It could have ended in a massacre.

It didn’t.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard made clear why: the synagogue had armed security on site. Those guards engaged the attacker and neutralized him. Miraculously, no congregants were killed. One security guard was injured by the vehicle, but the only person who died was the suspect.

That armed guard prevented what could have been a mass-casualty attack.

So here is the uncomfortable truth: too many Jewish institutions in New York—especially in the Charedi community—are still operating as if we live in a different era.

For years, the community has begged government for security funding, grants, and police protection. Those programs help, but let’s be honest: expecting the government to guard every yeshiva, every synagogue, every daycare, every community building in Brooklyn, Queens, and beyond is fantasy.

It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.

We live in a new reality. Jewish institutions are obvious targets. Antisemitism today is louder, bolder, and sometimes violent. Pretending that a police patrol somewhere in the neighborhood is enough protection is not security—it’s wishful thinking.

And yet, unbelievably, you can still walk into many Jewish schools and synagogues in New York with little to no real security presence.

That is unacceptable.

Parents should start demanding answers from the schools where they send their children. Congregants should demand answers from the synagogues where they pray. If an institution can raise millions for buildings and expansions, it can raise the money for trained, professional, armed security.

Enough excuses.

Every synagogue. Every yeshiva. Every Jewish school should have trained armed guards at the entrance. Not volunteers. Not someone casually watching the door. Real, professional security.

The proof is in West Bloomfield. When the attack came, the armed guard didn’t wait for police to arrive. He was already there. And because he was, lives were saved.

So here is the message to the Charedi community in New York: wake up.

Stop assuming someone else will protect us. Stop relying on government programs as the primary solution.

Start demanding security from the institutions you attend.

Because in the world we live in today, Jewish security is not optional. It’s survival.

Yes, ultimately our protection comes from Hashem. But faith does not mean standing idle. We must do our hishtadlus—our part—by taking real, responsible steps to protect our communities.

As the pasuk reminds us: “Im Hashem lo yishmor ir, shav shakad shomer.” If Hashem does not guard the city, the watchman stands guard in vain. But that does not mean we abandon the watchman—it means we do our part, and place our trust in Hashem to do the rest.