Local delegation urges Congress to adopt six-point security plan

Joining more than 100 national Jewish communities in D.C.

By Lisa Koppel, Chair, Jewish Community Relations Council

A delegation from the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, which included JFGN President & CEO Nammie Ichilov, Board Chair Dr. Nathaniel Ritter and me, joined nearly 400 Jewish leaders representing more than 100 Jewish communities from across the nation this summer for a two-day fly-in to Washington, D.C., to advocate for critical security measures to better protect Jewish communities nationwide.

Joined by 50 national organizations, Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations came together to lead the mission and to deliver a consistent message: Jewish security cannot wait.

Collectively, our group participated in more than 200 congressional meetings for this United for Security Emergency Leadership Mission. Our delegation held crucial conversations with Sen. Ashley Moody, Sen. Rick Scott, Rep. Byron Donalds, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and their respective staffs.

“We are here to speak with one voice. We know there are many things on the nation's agenda, but we must insist that the safety and security of the Jewish community and the battle against domestic terror be at the very top,” Jewish Federations of North America President & CEO Eric D. Fingerhut told the crowd before heading to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress.

“Whatever other issues the Jewish community may care about, whatever differing opinions we may hold on some of those issues, we are united for security,” Fingerhut continued.

“The Naples Jewish community needs our elected officials to respond to the reality that threats against Jews are real and require action,” said Ichilov. “No Jewish community in the United States should be required to implement a ‘security tax’ on its community members. It is our government’s responsibility to keep its citizens safe from threats and those who desire to do us harm.”

With the threat Iran poses in the Middle East and around the world, domestic terror in the United States is on the rise, with Jewish Americans as the target.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents have reached an all-time high, with 9,354 recorded incidents in 2024. Jewish Americans, representing just 2% of the U.S. population, are targets of 68% of all religion-based hate crimes.

Our communities are under violent attack. The broad representation from across the country and across the organizational spectrum of the mission reflects the universal nature of this crisis and the urgent need for the government to take strong and aggressive action to stop the antisemitic murders, attacks, violence and harassment.

In our meetings, we advanced a sixpoint security policy plan to secure the Jewish community:

• Increasing the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $1 billion annually

• Providing federal support for security personnel costs that Jewish communities are forced to bear

• Expanding FBI resources to fight the domestic and global war on terror

• Providing federal assistance to local law enforcement to protect Jewish institutions

• Regulating social media hate speech and incitement of violence

• Enforcing and prosecuting existing hate crime legislation

Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter delivered this strong message to the group as the United States prepared to meet with Iran: “The basis of any agreement pursued with Iran has to be: there is no more attempt to annihilate the Jewish state, the Jewish people.”

He added, "The Middle East has the potential to change, and we're going to continue to move towards an Abraham Accords 2.0. There's no reason why we can't have a Middle East, which is calm, quiet, cooperative, normalized and peaceful."

Additionally, our group heard from administration officials, including President Trump’s nominee to the position of U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, Rabbi Yehudah Kaploun, as well as Samuel Ramer, General Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

We also heard a stirring call to action from Moshe Lavi, whose brother-in-law Omri Riman has been held hostage in Gaza for 628 days, calling for action to ensure that every one of the remaining 50 hostages return home.

Our safety is neither optional nor negotiable. This unified advocacy effort demonstrates that Jewish communities across America are standing together, demanding action, and refusing to live in fear.