This.

This is the most important screenshot I ever took with my phone.

I took it in Paris, near the site of terror attacks against the Jewish community. Because normally, when you see a cluster of police symbols on your GPS, you guess – usually rightly – that it’s multiple sightings of one police car. At best.

Not in this case. This was many, many different army soldiers, police officers, police cars, and other security forces. Because this was Paris.

Attacked by terrorists, threatened by enemies of freedom, intimidated by the neo-Nazis and thugs and racists, the Jewish community depended on the French government for protection.

I’ve thought about this photo a lot in the last week. And about our role and our responsibility in protecting our Jewish community. I’m proud that our Jewish Federation has created an emergency communication platform. Starting this week, our new platform allows our Chief Security Officer Robert Wilson to alert the community about threats to communal safety and to quickly disseminate valuable information. He will serve as a portal of information from our law enforcement partners, including the Department of Homeland Security. To read more about the Emergency Alert System, click here.

This ability to communicate across the Jewish community to provide immediate information could save lives during a crisis. The program is free of charge to any Greater MetroWest organization that wants to participate. The cost is covered by our Federation.

If you’re a supporter of our Jewish Federation’s Annual Campaign, I want you to know how grateful we are – how important your donation has been – in making our community safer.

 

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