At Mishkan, we take the safety and security of our community seriously, while maintaining a commitment to our values of welcoming and inclusivity. We undergo regular security audits from the Jewish United Fund’s Security Department, and our staff attends trainings and conferences to make sure we are up to date on best practices for security. We also receive updates from the Secure Communities Network, which uses sophisticated technology to monitor potential threats to the Jewish community. We are grateful to our friends at these organizations for providing these important resources to the Chicago Jewish community. Lastly, we are in regular contact with multiple alderpersons and Chicago Police District commanders for the neighborhoods in which we meet.
Mishkan has security guards at all large-scale events for Shabbat and holidays, both indoors and outdoors. They are usually plainclothes, so you may not always notice them at first, but we have been working with the same security vendor for years and their staff have become trusted members of our Shabbat team. They know our community and our staff, and we train on the same security protocol together. Our security protocol also includes sensitivity to people and populations who have been historically targeted by biased policing. Additionally, we have security plans and protocols in place for all of our programs and classes at Mishkan HQ. If you have specific questions about our security practices, please be in touch with Rachel Cort at [email protected]
Our costs for security have increased dramatically over the past few years. If you’ve like to make a donation to support these costs, you can do so here.