Mr. Shames and Mr. Levy go to Washington

It would be far better if the nearly 400 leaders of Jewish organizations across the country didn’t have to gather in Washington last week.

If they hadn’t felt the need to rush to D.C. for a quickly organized lobbying effort.

If the need that impelled them there was not real.

But it is.

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Those organizational leaders — from the federations that form the Jewish Federations of North America, from the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and from an alphabet soup of other groups — were lobbying for more funding for American Jewish groups’ increasing security needs.

The immediate impetus for the mission was the firebombing in Boulder, Colorado, in early June. The man arrested for the attack, which injured 12 people, some seriously, and killed an 82-year-old woman who died this week, shouted about freeing Palestine as he threw Molotov cocktails; his writings, discovered later, made clear his loathing of Jews and Israel. The victims had met for Run For Their Lives, a weekly walk to raise awareness of the hostages whom Hamas has held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The firebombing came just weeks after the murder of two young Israeli embassy staffers, shot as they left the Jewish Museum in Washington.

Just weeks before that, late on the night between the first two days of Pesach, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s official residence in Harrisburg was set on fire; no one was hurt, but much property was destroyed. The arsonist was clear on his motive — to rid the world of Zionists, and of Jews.

Antisemitism is rising. That’s clear. Most of us face no risk most of the time — that’s still true — but the odds have changed.

The Washington meeting, on June 25-26, was called the United for Security Emergency Leadership Mission; its participants included Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, and Steven Levy, interim CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ.

“It was a very intense day,” Mr. Shames said. “We were advocating and lobbying for increased funds for security, and for more awareness and education about what’s going on in our communities that causes us to ask for this money.

“It was very fast-paced, and it was very hot. We met with New Jersey state elected officials or their legislative staff; we did what we had to do.”

That included Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ Dist. 5), who represents most of the federation’s catchment area. Mr. Gottheimer, who is Jewish, has been active in fighting for the community. “Josh is a champion,” Mr. Shames said. “He’s a hero.”

“We had a check-in with Mikie Sherrill,” he continued. Rep. Sherrill (D-NJ Dist. 11), who represents most of MetroWest, won the Democratic primary for governor last month. “We met with Nellie Pou” — Rep. Pou (D-NJ Dist. 9) represents Paterson, in the North Jersey federation’s catchment area; she replaced Bill Pascrell, who died in office last August.

“We met with Cory Booker” — the Democratic senior senator from New Jersey, who grew up in Harrington Park and now lives in Newark, the city where he served as mayor.

The group did not meet with New Jersey’s junior senator, newly elected Democrat Andy Kim; efforts to set up a meeting were fruitless. “There was a snafu,” Mr. Shames said.

At the meetings, “we made our case, but I’m not going to report back that we got guarantees or promises. What we got was thank-yous. Thanks for the reminder. No one said to us that we’re crazy, or that our issues don’t matter.

“Everyone was cordial and receptive.”

Most of the politicians with whom the New Jersey groups met were Democrats, because most of the elected federal officials from New Jersey are Democrats, Mr. Shames said.

The mission’s goal was to thank, educate, and advocate, Mr. Shames summed up. Education is necessary because the costs of protecting the community have gone way up, and elected officials have to be told about it.

“Everyone’s basically had to double what they spent on security,” he said. And even beyond that, the funds that the government now gives for security have to go for objects, not people.”

The Jewish groups were lobbying primarily for an increase in the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which the federal government gives to all religious institutions, not just Jewish ones, as they try to protect their communities.

Mr. Levy met with staff from Ms. Sherrill’s office — her district is contained in MetroWest — and from the office of LaMonica McIver (D-NJ Dist. 10), who represents Newark. (She replaced Donald Payne Jr., who died in 2024.)

“Our main message is that we need increased security funding,” Mr. Levy said. “We appreciate what everyone has done so far, and we thanked them, but we stressed the need to increase the security grants.”

There are some problems with the grants now, Mr. Levy said. Not only are they limited to physical objects, at a time when there is an increased need for human security guards as well as the advanced technology they use to assess and derail threats, but they go only to 501c3s. That means that such organizations as Jewish fraternities and sororities at Rutgers, which have had to deal with antisemitism, do not qualify for them.

“Organizations have had to double the number of their security guards, and the cost can be prohibitive,” Mr. Levy said. “We asked the federal government to keep us safe. That was the thrust of every conversation.

“I believe that funding for the program is in the bill now before Congress,” he continued. That’s the massive omnibus package that the Republicans have labeled their Big Beautiful Bill; it’s being deliberated this week.

“I believe that there is funding for the program in that bill, and we heard that the funding might be slightly up. Somebody else said that it was fancy accounting, and really the amount was flat.

“But what we really are asking for is double the amount. Costs have gone up that far in the last year and a half.”

Mr. Levy talked about the four Jewish day schools in MetroWest. One of them had paid about $80,000 for security guards until recently and now must pay about $150,000. Another had used one security guard and now has two; a third had four and now has eight.

“These are big numbers,” Mr. Levy said. “And it’s money that could be used for education.”

After they lobbied and went to a number of meetings, “we had a reception at the Capitol Visitors Center, and at least 20 members of the House and Senate came in and addressed the group,” he said. “It was informal; they discussed why they are supporting an increase in the nonprofit security grants, and why they support Israel.” Some of those legislators were Jewish and others were not, he added.

“One of the things we pointed out was that the grants don’t go only to Jewish institutions. Just the other day, a church was shot up.” That was a church in Michigan, where one person was wounded, two security guards shot and killed the gunman, and it all happened in a vacation Bible school, so the building was full of small children.

“I am a very optimistic guy in general,” Mr. Levy said. “I always have a place for hope. The people we spoke to seemed receptive — the question is whether they have the wherewithal to do what we’re asking.”

Mr. Levy is a very successful retired businessman, but he is a new — and in fact reluctant and very glad to be interim — federation CEO, so lobbying in D.C. is new to him. (He will leave his position and return to retirement, to both his and his wife’s delight, later this summer.) Because it was novel to him, he watched what was going on around him with care and attention to detail.

He was struck by the number of lobbyists he saw — not only professional lobbyists, but also people representing nonprofits or specific political viewpoints.

The Jewish lobbyists, 400 strong, were a big group on Capitol Hill that day, but still it was one of many, he said. “I saw many people lobbying for things that are important to them. I saw people walking around wearing T-shirts, with their cause printed on them. They were wearing T-shirts with messages.

“There were a lot of messages being delivered. We weren’t the only people in town. But I hope that even with so many lobbyists for so many causes, 400 people there at one time made less of a cacophony and more of a very solid message. That message, that cuts across all party lines at every level, is that this is incredibly important to the Jewish people, and to America.

“You have to be able to keep your citizens safe. And there is only so much that we can do ourselves.

“I don’t have the background to know how impactful this was, but the people who do it for a living say that this is the way to get it done. You keep coming back, and eventually your message gets through.”