Israel, Ukraine package would increase funding to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia

Congress’ impasse over sending billions in aid to Israel and Ukraine could impact the ability of synagogues and mosques to install security cameras, strengthen doors and take other steps to protect their congregants as the number of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims surge around the country.

The $95 billion emergency defense spending bill passed by the Senate last week included $160 million in Nonprofit Security Program grants to be distributed immediately “to prevent, prepare for, protect against and respond to acts of terrorism or other threats.”

While the grants would go to nonprofits, the funding would come as a relief to many mayors who are struggling to deal with the increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes. Several gathered in Washington, D.C., last month to discuss what actions to take. The number of antisemitic incidents, in particular, has more than tripled since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

In a statement to Route Fifty, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, who led last month’s discussion, said religious institutions in his city have taken advantage of the grants and that they have “brought them peace of mind.”

But a proposal unveiled by a group of moderate House Republicans and Democrats on Friday to provide more than $66 billion in emergency aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan does not include additional funding for the program.

Spokespoeple for Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Pennsylvania Republican who negotiated the House proposal, did not respond when asked why the funding was not included.

But Robert Goldberg, who led the Jewish Federations of North America’s advocacy efforts to create the program in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, speculated that House lawmakers may have been trying to keep the cost of the proposal below that of the Senate’s bill.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said giving places of worship more funding to protect themselves is important.

“The Nonprofit Security Grant program is a crucial resource for synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions,” he said in a statement to Route Fifty.  “But the program has long been underfunded compared to the amount of need that exists. At a time when threats against Jewish and Muslim communities are on the rise, it’s important that we provide the necessary federal funding to support the ability of faith-based organizations to upgrade their security measures and protect their communities.” 

It is a sentiment echoed by Jeff Cohen, president of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, where a gunman took four people, including Cohen, hostage in 2022.

“The levels of antisemitism and threats to the Jewish community are ridiculously high,” he told Route Fifty. “And it's only getting worse. Especially since soon after the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, it's been socially acceptable in a great many places to openly attack Jews. I know other groups have experienced it, too. I know that the levels of attacks on Muslims have also gone up.”

Cohen said he would not characterize how the Jewish community in Colleyville is feeling after the hostage incident as fearful. Rather, he said, “it is a level of concern and a recognition that there's a threat. The threat is real. We knew that we needed to be more secure, be more aware and take some action.”

Cohen said the congregation has used funding from the Nonprofit Security Grant program to build a fence around the synagogue. It also secured its doors and installed security cameras. “So before we let someone on to the property,” he said, “we can see who they are and question them.”

The congregation has also used the grants to hire off-duty law enforcement officers to guard the synagogue during services or social gatherings, and when office workers are in the synagogue.

Dov Horwitz, who works with congregations to apply for the grants, said he has been advising since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that synagogues strengthen windows and doors to prevent people from forcing their way in. A secure door can cost about $8,000 to $12,000, he said. Double doors can cost far more.

In January, at the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ winter meeting in Washington. D.C., Alex Friedfeld, the Anti-Defamation League’s associate director of investigative research, said his group had counted 3,300 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., an average of 34 a day, since the outbreak of the war.

While no similar data is available, Friedman also said Muslims around the country are facing increased levels of prejudice and violence “because of their beliefs and the perceived connection to things that are happening overseas.”

The Senate’s bill has the support of the Anti-Defamation League. In a statement to Route Fifty, Lauren Wolman, the organization’s director of government relations, urged the House to “fund these urgent priorities that protect the Jewish community and all vulnerable communities at home, and allow Israel to defend itself from the terrorist threat posed by Hamas and other growing regional threats.”

The path forward for increasing funding for the program is unclear. House Speaker Mike Johnson said last week that he won’t bring the Senate bill to the floor because it lacks the tougher border security measures House Republicans had demanded months ago. 

The Islamic community also opposes the bill.

“This program is important to targeted faith communities, experiencing surges in hate across the country. Whether that's Muslim, Jewish, Palestinian, Christian, or other communities, Congress must ensure that this funding takes place,” said Robert McCaw, government relations director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in an interview. “The Nonprofit Security Grant program is not a consolation prize for having to swallow funding Israel's genocide in Gaza.”

McCaw said he would support other avenues for increasing funding for the program, including Congress’ regular appropriations process.

Goldberg, who now assists synagogues in receiving the grants, said he is “optimistic” Congress will at least give the program as much as it received in last year’s spending bill.

It’s uncertain if and when Congress will be able to agree on either a foreign aid bill or overall spending bill. The nation is facing the potential of another partial government shutdown next Friday, and many expect Congress will again pass a short-term spending bill.

The longer the uncertainty continues, though, Goldberg said “it's going to put a lot of pressure on FEMA” to have to distribute any additional funding by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The Federal Emergency Management Agency oversees the grant program, and the Senate bill included $10 million for the agency to administer it.

The tight timeframe would also “put a great amount of pressure on the nonprofits to get through the application process,” he added.