It’s hard to believe High Holidays are right around the corner. While we all enjoy our last months of summer, our organizational leaders are busy preparing for services, gatherings, and events.

That is a lot of responsibility, and I’ve long held the belief that the best way you as an individual can help support your community is to be trained and prepared to respond to an emergency. Every individual who arrives prepared and knowledgeable at a community gathering is one less person that staff and volunteers have to help in an emergency. It’s a gift you can provide to your community.

To that end, Secure Community Network (SCN) is hosting a series of webinars to help organizations and individuals prepare. The series started last week with an overview of security considerations as plans are created. The webinars will consist of educational/informational webinars (these are always recorded and available on SCN’s website, www.securecommunitynetwork.org) and specific safety and security training. The average community member may not have reason to watch the information webinars, but the training series is a great way to be individually trained in these valuable skills. Training webinars are never recorded, but each session is offered 2x per day to make them as accessible as possible.

SCN does not regularly offer security training throughout the year, so this is a great opportunity to hear directly from SCN’s training team. If you have never been to an SCN security training class, they will provide the basics of what to know and do in certain situations. Many people avoid training because they 1. think they’ll never need it, and 2. think it will remind them of the bad things that can happen. To the first point, I would say we can never know when issues or incidents might happen. Do you think a small synagogue in Colleyville, TX, ever thought they would end up in a day-long hostage situation? These things happen – we can’t know when or where, but we can control whether we’re prepared. To the second point, I say that training breeds confidence. It’s hard to confront the possibility of bad things happening. I can 100% guarantee to you that you will feel better and more confident following training  - you’ll know that you have the capacity and ability to respond. That’s not a small thing.

So please consider taking one of these security classes, some of which have been newly updated. If you miss them, I will be offering them again starting later in 2025, via Zoom. More information about my training is found at the bottom of this article and here is the national security training schedule:

Thursday August 14th – BeAware: Introduction to Situational Awareness (newly updated course!) at 11am and 5:30pm

This training will teach you how to recognize suspicious or potentially dangerous behavior and threats and what to do. Designed for all community members, BeAware covers basic situational awareness and how to help protect yourself, your family, and your community.

Thursday, Aug. 21 – Guardian: Identify, Protect, Respond at 11am and 5:30pm

Guardians take personal responsibility for the safety and security of themselves, their families, and their communities. Learn the skillsets that help you identify, protect, and respond to all hazards and become an Active Bystander in your community.

Thursday, Aug. 28 – The Power of Hello at 11am and 5:30pm

The Power of Hello training equips you with the knowledge and skills to observe and evaluate suspicious behaviors. It empowers you to mitigate potential risk by knowing when to seek additional help. When used effectively, the right words can be a powerful tool.

Thursday, Sept. 11th Navigating Conflict: The Power of De-escalation at 11am and 5:30pm

This class equips people with the knowledge, skills, and techniques to reduce tension, hostility, or conflict in a situation. Learn common escalation triggers, the de-escalation process, and communication skills to navigate aggression.

Tuesday, Sept. 16 – Countering Active Threat Training (CATT) – (newly updated course!)  at 11am and 5:30pm

Countering an Active Threat Training (CATT) teaches the valuable principles of how to respond during an active threat event. Developed for faith-based institutions and houses of worship, CATT is a foundational course for everyone in the community.

Each class/session must be registered for separately and the link to the full webinar schedule and registration can be found at https://www.securecommunitynetwork.org/articles/scn-announces-full-2025-high-holiday-webinar-training-series/

I also offer zoom (and in-person) training throughout the year! My training schedule can be found on the JFGP security web page and will soon be updated with training classes for September and beyond. Please check back regularly as classes are added! https://jewishportland.org/events/security-training.