Jewish Federation hikes security
As anti-semitic attacks rise nationwide, organization hires retired Canton detective as first safety chief
With anti-semitic attacks making headlines nationally nearly every week, the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford has hired its first security director for the region.
The organization turned to John Colangelo, a retired Canton police detective, to improve security at synagogues as well as Jewish community centers, schools and other potential targets.
Although there have been no reports of violent attacks in central Connecticut, vandalism and threats are far too frequent, Jewish leaders said. And it’s simply unwise to ignore the national climate and assume that violence couldn’t happen here, they said.
“We’ve seen an explosion of anti-semitism, including rhetoric from both the right and the left,” said David Waren, federation president and chief executive officer. “The threat environment facing the Jewish community is more significant than some would say it’s ever been.”
Waren’s organization last month hired Colangelo as its first-ever community security director, a job where he’ll be examining buildings for security weaknesses, advising rabbis and others on safety procedures, and training congregations in how to handle emergencies.
Colangelo, who retired in May after 24 years with the Canton police, will be working with Jewish organizations in 38 communities from Barkhamsted and Stafford to the north and Glastonbury and Meriden to the south.
Colangelo was a field training officer and a member of the regional emergency services unit, and also led critical incident management training.
He’ll be part of the national Secure Community Network, a
nonprofit association that calls itself the official safety organization of the Jewish community in North America. It coordinates the work of scores of regional security directors with Jewish federations across the country.
Michael Masters, who created the network in 2004, was in Greater Hartford early this week to work with Warren and Colangelo. Based on experience from other parts of the country, Greater Hartford is likely to experience a bump in reports of anti-semitic incidents — not because they’ll be more frequent, but because Colangelo will coach the community into rigorously reporting each one, Masters said.
“When we see one of these (security positions) start, there’s a 78% increase in incident reporting,” Masters said. “We tell the community it’s vital to report them so we can identify patterns. It’s absolutely important we report the errant (hate) phone calls or letters or swastikas.”
The majority of violent attackers give tips beforehand by committing anti-semitic vandalism or making phone or Internet threats, Masters said.
The Anti-defamation League reported that Jews in the United States suffered more anti-semitic incidents in 2020 than in any year since it began keeping records in 1980.
In Connecticut, the ADL reports at least 11 incidents so far this year, including Zoom-bombing of virtual prayer services by synagogues in West Hartford and Stamford. Swastikas were painted or etched into school walls in Darien, Easton and Oxford, and numerous incidents were reported at the University of Connecticut.
Waren and Colangelo said they envision offering safety training to other targeted communities in the future.
Training people how to watch for dangers — and then how to respond in case of attack — is a way to give them strength, not fear, said Masters.
“Our primary goal is to empower the community, not scare the community,” Masters said.
“The threat environment is more complex and dynamic today than it’s ever been,” he said. “In December of 2017 only 7% of Jewish communities in the U.S. had access to a professional security director like John. Today 65% do.”