Philadelphia, PA, August 14, 2024 — The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is grateful to announce its receipt of a $250,000 early childhood security grant from The Tepper Foundation through Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). This important grant will help protect children as antisemitism continues rising across the nation.
Six Jewish day camps and twelve Jewish preschools in Greater Philadelphia will receive funds from this grant, enabling them to hire additional security personnel, adding another layer of protection for our community’s youngest learners. These funds are in addition to the security trainings, assessments, and grant support the Jewish Federation provides to all Greater Philadelphia Jewish organizations and institutions.
“Nothing is more critical than the safety and well-being of our Greater Philadelphia Jewish community, especially at a time when antisemitism is on the rise,” said Scott Kerns, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Community Security Director. “These funds help bolster our community’s access to security resources and provide peace of mind so people can continue to live their Jewish lives.”
“We appreciate the work of The Tepper Foundation and JFNA in ensuring our community has the added support to build a strong security foundation from the start of Jewish life and education,” said Michael Balaban, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. “The safety of our children is paramount to building a strong Jewish future.”
The Tepper Foundation has been a major partner with JFNA in response to the growing number of antisemitic incidents in the United States since the October 7th Hamas terror attacks on Israel. The organization launched the Emergency Security Fund in November 2023 and has now made grants of more than $12 million across the nation to support the security needs of the American Jewish community.
“Right now, nothing is more important than protecting our children and giving them a safe environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive as people,” said JFNA’s Chair Julie Platt. “We’re thrilled that The Tepper Foundation continues on this journey with us during such difficult times.”
The Tepper Foundation’s current round of grants totaled $9 million and was awarded to 76 local Federations across 30 states with a requirement that they be a recipient of Jewish Federations’ LiveSecure funding.
Building on the success of JFNA’s LiveSecure initiative – the largest philanthropic effort to support Jewish security in North American history – Jewish Federations across North America have become The Tepper Foundation’s partner in continuing to ensure the safety of Jewish institutions and the communities they serve.
LiveSecure participating Federations, all of which have established comprehensive security plans under the auspices of JFNA, have committed to building and strengthening relationships with other religious leaders and faith-based institutions in their communities by sharing their security expertise. This is a new aspect of The Tepper Foundation’s commitment to security, aimed at improving interfaith relations as well as enhancing safety for all populations confronting hatred.
“Without basic security for our children, the Jewish community cannot flourish,” said Shira Hutt, Executive Vice President of JFNA. “We are proud of the immense progress we have made on securing our community through LiveSecure, but the unprecedented spike in antisemitism that our community has experienced since October 7th has created the need for both additional security resources and renewed outreach to our interfaith partners.”
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About the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
Since 1901, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has served as the hub of the region’s Jewish communities, providing an infrastructure of support for Jewish people and organizations in need. Through grants, emergency funding, restricted gifts, endowments, and our partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools, we invest more than $61 million each fiscal year to care for those in need, combat antisemitism and global crisis, and strengthen Jewish identity. For more information, please visit: https://jewishphilly.org/.