HARRISBURG, Pa. —
When a man opened fire in a California synagogue last April, and when two people were shot in December in a Texas church, they joined a growing list of places of worship under attack. In light of a growing number of hate crimes across the country, the Harrisburg JCC hosted a “Protecting Places of Worship” forum March 5.
Faith communities spanning a range of religions—Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh—have all seen a rise in hate crimes in the last five years. According to the FBI, there were 263 hate incidents in places of worship in 2018, up 35% since 2014.
“We need to be concerned about hatred flourishing and about the number of people who cannot handle the presence of difference,” said Ann Van Dyke, who chairs the Rapid Response Team for the Community Responders Network, which helped organize the forum.
The U.S. Department of Justice periodically runs Protecting Places of Worship forums around the country.
Faith leaders, government officials and community members attended the event.
“For people of faith to know what kind of support they can get from the government,” Van Dyke said. “To feel the common ground that they have across faith backgrounds.
Lectures centered on keeping up to date on the most effective security measures, like flood lights, cameras, locked doors and armed guards.
“We have always had to, unfortunately, secure our agencies, our sanctuaries, all of our institutions,” said Jen Ross, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. “And we are always looking at ways to make them stronger.”
Faith leaders expressed concern that security measures could make their faith communities seem less welcoming.
Ahmet Tekelioglu, COUNCIL OF AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: “It’s a delicate balance, but what falls on the community is to know basic security measures and basic security knowledge, to be knowledgeable about what to do in an active shooter situation,” said Ahmet Tekelioglu, outreach and education director for the Council of American-Islamic Relations.
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) explained one more resource for faith communities: a grant for nonprofits to make security upgrades.