By JESSICA ANDERSON
As the High Holidays quickly approach, I’m keenly aware that this year feels especially fraught for many due to the anniversary of the Hamas attack falling right between the busiest and most reverential days of the High Holy Days. Organizational leaders, schools, synagogues, and congregants are all wondering if we’re safe (we are) and how to stay that way. 
I’ve said this many times, but it bears repeating in case I’ve acquired even one new reader in the past two weeks – Jewish security is a collective responsibility. My message to community members is that if there is one thing we can continually do to improve safety, it’s paying attention to the human parts of a safety plan. It’s making sure doors aren’t left open without a staff member being there; that exit doors are locked, that we’re not letting people slide in behind us instead of going through the security line. It is a group effort to support the security layers of any organization or building, from sidewalks and perimeters to the spaces inside. 
I recently hosted a Zoom meeting for leaders across Oregon to talk and share about how they’re approaching High Holidays this year. We discussed bag checks, registration, and other best practices for organizations to follow. The Portland Police and the FBI spoke about what they’re doing, how they’re working together, and what we can expect from them as a community throughout the month. In Portland, we’ll see stepped-up patrols and PPB will have a calendar of services and observances. For my part, I’ll be monitoring for intelligence about threat activity, staying in communication with the FBI and PPB, sharing with the community any threat information I receive from law enforcement (there has been none), and having SCN monitor large community events. 
We can expect protest activity in the city during this time, and such events are already planned for October 5 and October 7. These will be observed by PPB for criminal activity and for me, they pose little concern. I’m much more aware of the risk to individual organizations by a bad actor who is unknown and seeks to do harm or vandalism. Reporting suspicious activity during this time is paramount - something happening at one location could later impact another. Be sure to let staff know if you see something and report activity to me at 872-273-9214, janderson@securecommunitynetwork.org, or the JFGP website, https://www.jewishportland.org/security. 
Additionally, SCN has a new course called “Navigating Conflict: The Power of De-escalation.” This is a foundational overview of de-escalation techniques. The goal of this course is to provide a basic understanding and introduction to the skills and techniques to defuse or reduce tension, hostility, and/or conflict in situations. The course covers the following topics: the definition of de-escalation, common escalation triggers, the de-escalation process, communication skills, and handling aggression. While anyone can benefit from these skills, this course is particularly valuable for staff and volunteers, security personnel, and community leaders and members who frequently interact with the public. 
This final national High Holy Day training webinar is on Wednesday, September 25th so if you’re reading this when The Jewish Review first comes out, you can hop on the evening class at 5:30pm PT. The last informational webinar of the series will be “Combatting Emerging Threats” and airs on Thursday, September 26th at 11am PT. Registration links can be found here: https://www.securecommunitynetwork.org/high-holidays.
I have every confidence that October will pass without significant disruption and I’m wishing you all meaningful High Holy Days.