SCN develops training program in case of attacks on synagogues, schools

The plan was designed by a team consisting of law enforcement and security professionals.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A security officer walks at the synagogue in Halle, Germany October 11, 2019, after two people were killed in a shooting (photo credit: REUTERS/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE)
A security officer walks at the synagogue in Halle, Germany October 11, 2019, after two people were killed in a shooting
(photo credit: REUTERS/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE)
The Secure Community Network (SCN) has developed a new training program to help combat extremist and terrorist actions in Jewish communities in the Diaspora, focusing on active threat response and emergency life-saving responses.
As the official safety and security organization of the leading US Jewish umbrella groups Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, SCN's new plan was developed in order to prepare for any future attacks against Jewish communities, such as against synagogues.
Titled the Countering Active Threat Training (CATT), it was designed by a team consisting of law enforcement and security professionals, and combines relevant elements from numerous other training programs – including those recognized by federal law enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security.
"From the congregant to the rabbi, and the parent to the principal, CATT will provide leading techniques and strategies to save lives," the SCN said in a statement.
SCN's training comes amid ongoing spikes in antisemitic incidents in the US in recent years, including notable attacks on synagogues in Pittsburgh and Monsey. According to the SCN, the survivors of many of these attacks are alive today due to being trained to react in a crisis.
 “I am alive today because I was trained,” Steve Weiss, a survivor of the 2018 Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, said in a statement.
“The Jewish community faces a constant threat of violence that can occur at any time. The training and understanding I received from the federation security director on what to do when faced with an active threat was vital. I had received other active shooter training but it was the training that I received from the federation that gave me the skills to save myself and help warn others.”
“We will not choose the time and place of the next incident, but we can choose our preparation,” said SCN national director and CEO Michael Masters.
“This state-of-the-art training will reach thousands of participants and better prepare communities for active threats. Its uniform, best-practice, timely, concise protection strategy can be applied in a moment of need, across facilities to save lives in the Jewish community.”