CSS: From a Security Perspective, Mapping of Mass. Jewish Groups 'Deeply Concerning'

New York, NY, June 14, 2022 … The Community Security Service (The CSS) today expressed deep concern over a map of affiliations between Massachusetts area Jewish organizations released by The Mapping Project. The map, released last week, attempts to show the connections between Jewish communal leaders and entities that support Zionism and Israel, including names and locations of some staff members.

Evan R. Bernstein, National Director and CEO of The CSS, issued the following statement:

“As an organization dedicated to protecting the Jewish community and working with partners to monitor manifestations of extremism that could cause harm to Jewish institutions, we believe that from a safety and security perspective, the mapping of Jewish entities in this fashion is deeply concerning. At a time when the American Jewish community is experiencing an all-time high volume of antisemitic incidents and vulnerability, this move is nothing short of a demonstration of hate that may pose potential safety concerns.

We echo the sentiments from our partner organizations locally and across the country that this ‘project’ could also incite violence and intimidation against Jews and Jewish institutions. We continue to face a climate that is vehemently anti-Israel and antisemitic, and further demonstrates the need to ensure we prioritize our security.”

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About The Community Security Service (The CSS):

The CSS is the leading Jewish volunteer security organization in the United States. Founded in 2007, the CSS was the first organization to bring to the United States a mindset long held by sister communities around the world, that protecting Jewish life and Jewish way of life starts with taking ownership of our own security. The CSS is focused on training volunteers in basic security procedures to help protect their institutions and events across the country. Through programs developed by foremost industry security experts, and tailored to various levels of interest and ability, volunteers learn to identify suspicious activity and prevent and respond to potential threatening situations. Since its inception, The CSS has created a national network of thousands of trained volunteers, which help to protect synagogues and events nationwide.