N.J. lawmakers plead for more security funding for religious centers

Following a recent wave of threats and vandalism against Jewish institutions, New Jersey lawmakers on Monday visited a Jewish community center in Cherry Hill to push for more federal funding for security for religious centers.

U.S. Sen. Cory A. Booker and U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross used the backdrop of the  Katz Jewish Community Center to plead for more funding for Jewish community centers, synagogues, and schools from the federal Department of Homeland Security.

The Cherry Hill center was among several Jewish institutions in the region and more than a dozen nationwide that were evacuated last Monday because of bomb threats. Since January, there have been more than 90 threats against Jewish organizations across the country.

"We are gathered here today because hatred cannot go without a response," Booker (D., N.J.) told about 100 people at an outdoor news conference. "Bigotry cannot be allowed to go without being shouted down by a chorus of love."

Hundreds of people were quickly evacuated from the Katz center last week, including senior citizens participating in water aerobics in the pool and toddlers in day care. Some members said they refuse to let threats keep them away.

On Friday, a Missouri man was charged with making at least eight threats against Jewish institutions nationwide as part of a campaign against his ex-girlfriend. The FBI and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are investigating possible civil rights violations in connection with the threats.

Last week, Gov. Christie announced that patrols had been increased at houses of worship, community centers, and cemeteries in the wake of the recent bias incidents. The state Attorney General's Office is offering a $10,000 reward for tips leading to a bias crime conviction.

Booker was joined Monday by Norcross (D., N.J.) in calling upon Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to increase funding for the Homeland Security Grant Program.

According to the lawmakers, New Jersey's share of funding from the grant program has dropped from $61 million in 2010 to $29 million in 2016. The current formula used to distribute funds in the region favors Philadelphia, they contend.

"I don't want to take a dollar away from them," Booker told a cheering crowd. "But don't ever disrespect South Jersey."

In Philadelphia, the Mount Carmel Jewish cemetery was recently vandalized and headstones overturned. Gov. Wolf on Thursday requested a federal hate-crimes investigation into acts against Jewish institutions in the state, including the cemetery.

Burt Nussbaum, a retired dentist who helps with security at nearby Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, said the additional funding is desperately needed. Jewish institutions have been urged to increase security because of the threats.

"Once upon a time, a house of God was a sanctuary. Today it's not," said Nussbaum, 68, of Cherry Hill. "You just need to be extremely cautious."

Nussbaum said Beth El, which has about 1,000 families, has an armed security officer, but he said more measures are needed there and at other places due to current anti-Semitism.

"We come in to pray for peace and we have to have an armed security guard," Nussbaum said. "It's not the way it's supposed to be."

Said Cherry Hill Mayor Chuck Cahn: "We must remain vigilant."

Norcross noted that the Katz center, the hub of the Jewish community in South Jersey, has a day-care center that enrolls children from diverse backgrounds. He attended the center's nursery school in its former South Jersey location.

"They embrace all children. They took a kid from Pennsauken and turned him into a congressman," Norcross told the crowd.

The wave of anti-Semitism has galvanized communities across the region with an outpouring of support. There have been rallies attended by people of all faiths and races to denounce  vandalism and violence against the Jewish community.

Monday's crowd cheered Booker and chanted, "Run in 2020." He smiled and quipped: "I hate to be honest, but I'm running from the president."

Jennifer Dubrow Weiss, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, said the threats have created an environment with anxiety for some and fear for others. But she said the group is determined "to not allow terroristic threats to stop us."

Hasidic rabbis are launching a "Cherry Hill Mezuzah Campaign," and plan to hit the streets to make sure that every Jewish home in the region has a mezuzah — a handwritten parchment scroll mounted on the doorpost.

According to the Torah, the mezuzah protects one from harm and hate and prolongs life. If the home has a mezuzah, organizers say, a local scribe will check to make sure that it's proper; if not, a free replacement will be offered.

"It's heartbreaking to see what's going on here in Cherry Hill, and in cities across the country," said Rabbi Mendel Mangel of Chabad-Lubavitch of Camden and Burlington Counties, one of the local Jewish organizations heading the campaign. "Many people are worried, and want to do something to deal with it. As Jews, one of the things we do is put up mezuzahs and check the ones we have."

Editor's note: This story was revised to reflect that Mendel Mangel is a rabbi.