Shalom Aleichem,
May your memories of the Colorado Boulder antisemitism and ideologically driven terror attack serve to increase your own safety and security or your Synagogues and home Synagogues. The Jewish are typically the tripwire, the canary in the coal mine to know how dangerous society can be in the first strike alerts against the Israelites, Jewish,…then Christians. Unlike Nazi Germany, here in this war against Israel, Jews and Christians….were seeing Christians starting to come under the fray of targetting. Nasso, in Hebrew is part of the “counting” and raising up process still coming out of Egypt, we find the ancient Israelites were very structured, organized, with procedures as they were doing their “numbering”.
It doesn’t take long to see that this whole counting, organizing the tribes, the priest was the wilderness government of God for his people. Not just in priest and soldiers, but the security and protection of his people was big. A lot of things happened the result of the Boulder attacks, a Jewish family moved in across the street from the Muslim terrorist two weeks before the attacks, and they too run a non-profit ministry trying to bridge the gap between Jews and Christians. The Terrorist and his family also lived a few blocks from us too, and they would go out and surveill their targets, in one picture, even a family member of ours home was in a general picture just blocks away as well. In anti-terrorism the first thing we are taught, is “surveillance is a prelude to attack”. For these reasons as well, this ministry strives to make peoples homes, their synagogues. It doesn’t mean you will be safer from attack, but, as far as terrorism or idealogical attacks, it usually aims to the higher more public targets for more sensation. Yet, by attending synagogues digitally on your screens, or your own home Synagogue up to now at least, has been far safer.
Every shabbat do a basic security scan around your home, looking for watchful eyes, surveillance, things that may be an attack laying in waits. Have security camera systems and obviousness of them as some degree of deterrent, but don’t rely on it to deter attack. Have security and safety doors that resist doors being simply kicked in. Study Synagogue security, team up with organizations that do so to. Team up with neighbors that share views, network with your fellow Jews and Christians in matters of alerts, news, training. Support organizations like Hillel International, ADL, Secure Community Network. As supportive as we are of and for law enforcement, know, they don’t have the resources to babysit people for safety, security and prevention is your job, no one elses. In my region, we have the FBI and Homeland Security calling for heightened security from ongoing threat of Hamas terrorist and sympathizers on US soil surveilling the next targets. here in all our diaspora, we must rise together as do our “numbering” and organizing of our common and mutual Israelites security.
Torah Numbers 4:21-7:89
Prophets Judges 13:2-25
Besorah Luke 1:11-20
We see the Masso in the above readings, a past numbering, yet also, it appears a future reference of people coming back to it all in latter days as now. In the book of Numbers guarding and moving the Miskahn was a top levite role. Yet in other angles of the reads, these were also guidelines set forth on how to build community, avoiding excess strong drinks, adultery, etc.. Stronger community, provides stronger security…stronger more secure. We don’t have the Tabernacle any more, but the ways of building community, safety is still there and with us today. Your synagogue security is also your home security, yet because of your identification and these times of increasing dangerous currents, now is the time to take it far more seriously. Those gathering information, views, locations, doing surveillance on you and you might not even know of it yet,….know to strike in times or importance to you….don’t let your guard down.
B’Shalom
Asst.rabbi@mountainmajestyministries.com