Montgomery County is adding another $500,000 to its Nonprofit Security Grant Program as concerns rise due to violence in the Middle East and last week’s attack on a synagogue in Michigan.
Montgomery County is adding another $500,000 to its Nonprofit Security Grant Program as concerns rise due to violence in the Middle East and last week’s attack on a synagogue in Michigan.
County officials say the supplemental money will help synagogues, mosques, churches, schools and other nonprofit institutions hire additional security personnel over the next 90 days. The county already awarded about $1.2 million through its annual grant program earlier this year.
Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said he contacted the county shortly after the war began, warning leaders that local institutions could feel ripple effects.
“I … just said there might come a point when local organizations, both Jewish and non, their security is impacted by what’s happening in the Middle East,” he said.
Halber said last week’s attack on Temple Israel outside Detroit made the need for additional support more urgent.
“We need these dollars to protect the Jewish community and other communities that are at risk of hate crimes and terrorism,” Halber said.
He said Jewish institutions across the region are already spending heavily on protection.
“My synagogue alone spends $140,000 a year on security,” he said.
The county said the new funding is restricted to staffing and must be used within three months. Halber said it is intended for the hiring of police and armed security.
“Having someone there literally watching to make sure that nothing is going to go wrong is irreplaceable,” he said.
Faith leaders say concerns aren’t limited to one community. Halber noted there are “a lot of people living in the Washington area that have ancestral connections or emotional connections with Middle East,” and that includes Jewish, Muslim, Arab, South Asian and other groups.
“I think everybody’s feeling vulnerable,” he said.
Muslim and South Asian organizations also qualify for the supplemental support. In a county press release announcing the additional funding, Ghulam Abbas, president of the Idara‑e‑Jaferia Muslim nonprofit, said his community is grateful for the county’s action.
“We have always been committed to fostering a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment, and this additional funding will help community members and visitors feel safer,” Abbas said.
County Executive Marc Elrich said the goal is to ensure people feel safe in the places they gather. He called the grants “an important and necessary investment” the county must make.
“Hate has no home in Montgomery County,” Elrich said in a statement.
“Sadly, our community is not immune from hate-fueled violence exacerbated by events unfolding in the Middle East right now,” said Council President Fani-González in the release. “These additional funds will go a long way in bolstering security right here in Montgomery County as we eagerly await a peaceful and just outcome to the hostilities in the Middle East.”
The county said the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will administer the grants and continue coordinating with regional and federal public safety partners as institutions report increased threats and concerns.
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