(The Center Square) – Members of New York’s congressional delegation are seeking more federal funding to help synagogues and Jewish businesses in the state harden their facilities against antisemitic attacks.
The lawmakers are asking congressional colleagues to boost funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $500 million in the federal budget. This would make a “historic” level of funding available to houses of worship to hire security, install cameras and other steps to harden their infrastructure against attacks.
“The persistent cascade of intolerance and violence as the state of hate in America rises to a boiling point demands a much stronger federal response, because we are in a crisis,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement. “In many ways, the vulnerability and increased danger in houses of worship and not-for-profits has never been higher.”
The request, if approved, would double the amount of money currently available under the FEMA program. The Republican-majority House Appropriations Committee just released its Homeland Security Bill, which proposes $305 million for the program. The Trump administration is also calling for deep cuts in FEMA funding, which could also impact the program.
Schumer’s request, which is backed by fellow Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Reps. Jerry Nadler and Dan Goldman. It follows a surge of high-profile attacks on the Jewish community in New York and elsewhere raising security concerns among religious leaders and civil rights groups who have noted a surge in reports of bias and hate crimes.
One was an arson attack at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home. Another was the shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., and an incident in Colorado injured 15 when Molotov cocktails were thrown during a demonstration calling for the release of the hostages in Gaza.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said in the aftermath of “horrific attacks” against Jewish Americans in Washington and Boulder, “there’s no more compelling argument for robust federal funding for Jewish institutional security.”
“In this climate of escalating threats, every additional dollar for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program is a lifeline – right now, the demand far outpaces the available resources,” he said in a statement.
College campuses have been home to many protests tied to the war in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel.
Antisemitic incidents of assault and harassment more than doubled last year to a record high as anti-Jewish sentiment spiked after the start of the war, according to a recent Anti-Defamation League report.
The FEMA security program has already made about $275 million available in the current fiscal year, according to the agency. Last year FEMA dolled out more than $454 million in security grants for houses of worship.
Demand for the security grants outstrips available funds. In fiscal year 2024, FEMA received 7,584 grant applications for $978 million in funding through the program, about 2,300 more than the previous year, according to the agency.
“Our Jewish communities are reeling from a wave of horrific, antisemitic acts of terror – part of an unprecedented surge in antisemitism we’ve witnessed since Oct. 7th across the country and here in New York,” Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said in a statement. “Increasing Nonprofit Security Grant funding is a vital step toward ensuring that all vulnerable communities can gather and live in safety.”
