The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is very excited to be hosting Portland’s first-ever Jewish Festival on Sunday, Aug. 30. Jewish festivals are celebrated throughout the United States year-round, with great success and community joy. It’s time we brought that here.
The question of security is an important one – I hear daily about people concerned about safety at our festival, and I’m here to say that we have identified all the vulnerabilities and addressed and mitigated each one. I promise you, we have thought of everything and even some things you haven’t! Security planning for the event started day one. Before there was even a festival, there was the question: can we hold one safely? The answer was an absolute yes. Jewish communities celebrate publicly all over the US without any incidents. Thousands of public Jewish events are held yearly - everything from small community festivals to the annual Maccabee Games involving 3,000 teen athletes.
Every festival space has vulnerabilities. A good security plan identifies them and develops a mitigation strategy. The concern I hear most about for our festival is the bridges and the possibility of an attack from above. To address this, we have coordinated security to be on both bridges and monitoring activity throughout the festival. In addition, you will see our contracted security company, several Portland Police officers, foot patrols, and a dedicated screening team conducting bag checks and metal detection within and beyond our fenced-in festival space. All will be working together to reassure folks that they are safe and to address any issues. Some security measures will be obvious, and others you won’t see at all, but know that our layered approach is thorough and effective.
How can you help keep the festival safe? Be sure to say something if you see anything concerning or suspicious. Staff will be visible in yellow t-shirts, and guards patrolling inside the festival will be ready to help. Allow staff or security guards to handle any issues, rather than addressing them yourself. This is to be a festival space for all Jews and non-Jews alike, representing a wide range of beliefs, opinions, and views. All who want to contribute to a joyful day are welcome. Our attendee policy reinforces the festival as a safe space for all, with no tolerance for harassment, intimidation, hate speech, or disruptive behavior. Guests who violate this policy will be asked to leave. Note that festival staff will not be policing people’s clothing other than to ensure clothing is family friendly.
We have a great lineup of food, music, vendors, and activities, and we’d love to see you out there on the 30th! If you have any questions about security, please reach out to me at janderson@securecommunitynetwork.org.