In light of the horrific shootings that took place today in Sydney, Australia, at an event celebrating the first night of Chanukah, Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Secure Community Network (SCN), Community Security Service (CSS), and Community Security Initiative (CSI) of New York strongly urge all Jewish organizations that are hosting events in the coming  days to undertake the following actions:
 

1. Ensure awareness and coordination with law enforcement and the Jewish Community Security Initiative and/or security professional servicing your community or region 
2. Extend the protections or security of your event’s/facility’s perimeter as far as possible
3. Only open events to identifiable individuals and pre-screened invitation lists (e.g., no mass emails to the broad public)
4. Particularly for events open to the public, require registration and verification of registrants
5. Provide details of location, time, and other information only upon confirmed registration
6. Have access control (locks and entrance procedures) to only allow known, confirmed registrants/attendees into the facility/event
7. Remain vigilant and report suspicious activity
8. Add armed on-duty or off-duty law enforcement, private security, and/or volunteer teams as additional layers of protection wherever possible

 
This new Community Guide for Event Security offers organizers practical, checklist-based steps for risk assessment and safety. To receive support or a volunteer team for your event from CSS, please request here. We will continue to actively monitor events and proactively share any relevant information.