US Jewish institutions’ annual security spending passes an estimated $1 billion

百万美元的安全负担

Jewish institutions in the United States are expected to spend about $1.02 billion on security this year, according to an estimate reported by Axios from the Jewish Federations of North America. That would be approximately one-third more than the organisation’s $765 million estimate for 2024. The calculation covers more than 4,500 synagogues, schools, community centres and other institutions, averaging roughly $225,000 per site.

总计包括警卫、人员培训、紧急规划、技术和物理变更。 大约150万美元用于摄像机、访问控制、增强输入和其他硬化形式。 该支出反映了从临时保护周围的主要宗教假期转向全年持续的永久安全行动的转变。

志愿者补充职业保护

Community programmes have also expanded. More than 7,100 trained volunteers now help protect over 500 synagogues and events each week, according to the figures cited by Axios. Volunteers do not replace police or professional guards, but they can monitor entrances, identify suspicious activity and coordinate evacuations while allowing institutions with limited budgets to maintain a visible security presence.

Federal assistance remains an important part of the financing. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program has $300 million available for the 2026 fiscal year, while a bipartisan proposal would authorise $1 billion annually from 2027 through 2031. Even the larger amount would cover many types of nonprofit organisations facing terrorism or hate-crime risks, so applications from Jewish institutions would continue to compete with those from other eligible communities.

支出背后的政策问题

即时问题是,宗教和社区组织本身应该履行重复的安全义务的数量。 高成本的机构可能能够雇用警卫和修复入口,但小集会面临同样的威胁环境,捐赠者少,行政能力较少,以追求竞争性补贴。 因此,不平等的保护可以成为当地财富的后果,而不是估计的风险。

白宫分别承认对犹太人美国人的持续威胁,并将联邦执法的注意力转向反犹主义暴力和威胁。 接下来要看的是国会是否会增加非营利补贴计划,改变资金分配方式,或者提供多年的支持。 新的数十亿美元估计不是联邦支出,而是数以千计的机构吸收的更广泛的年度安全成本的测量。