A wide range of Jewish organizations and institutions will receive $3.4 million in security funding secured for the greater New York area from the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). The program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The agencies include synagogues of several denominations, volunteer ambulance chapters, several Chabad centers, a JCC on Long Island and numerous area yeshivas and day schools.
The 39 organizations represent the majority of the 46 awardees, out of 211 applications submitted by New York-based nonprofits, according to The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which assists Jewish organizations with the applications process. Other awardees include the Intrepid Air-Sea-Space Museum on the West Side, Lenox Hill Hospital and a church in Manhattan.
The funds may be used for safety and support improvements, such as evacuation plans or computer data backup, but are intended primarily for preventing terrorist attacks.
“Would-be evildoers have previously targeted schools and congregations for attacks and that’s why FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program is critical in making sure that high-risk organizations like Jewish schools and congregations are safe and protected from terrorist attacks,” said Sen. Charles Schumer in a statement. “It is especially important for organizations in and around New York City to receive this federal funding, which will go a long way to ensure that they are fully prepared for whatever may happen in the future.”
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