Worrying about Iran

For years, intelligence sources have concluded that a confrontation over Iran's nuclear program could have spillback here in New York City. The 1994 bombing of the AMIA building in Buenos Aires shows that Iranian intelligence operatives and Hezbollah terrorists have no compunctions about killing Jews. Last summer's interrupted plot to kill the Saudi Ambassador in Washington, DC indicates that Iran's Revolutionary Guards are willing to commission terrorist acts on U.S. soil. Iran's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened the state of Israel during a weekly sermon in Tehran on Friday. "We have intervened in anti-Israel matters, and it brought victory in the 33-day war by Hezbollah against Israel in 2006, and in the 22-day war...From now on, in any place, if any nation or any group confronts the Zionist regime, we will endorse and we will help...[Israel is a] cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut."

While there is no specific threat against the New York Jewish community, the NYPD increased its coverage of Israeli and high-profile Jewish targets on Friday, deploying its Atlas and Sampson units. Consider the following recommendations:

1. The JCRC recommends that Jewish groups should review their security operations, paying particular attention to access control and detecting hostile surveillance. For more tips, see the JCRC Security Resources page at: www.jcrcny.org/securityresources. Remember, if you see something, say something. Call 1-877-NYCSAFE.
2. While the details are currently being negotiated, it is likely that there will be a Nonprofit Security Grant Program for the coming year. The DHS guidance should be released on or about February 23rd. Applicants may not have much time to apply. Therefore review the grant requirements from last year at www.jcrcny.org/securitygrants. The most important recommendation is to update your vulnerability assessment. Learn about vulnerability assessments here.