WASHINGTON (JTA) — The top security official for Jewish organizations was named to a consulting body to the Department of Homeland Security.
Paul Goldenberg, the director of the Secure Community Network, was appointed to a three-year term on the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
The Jewish Federations of North America, a sponsor of the SCN, announced Goldenberg’s appointment on Monday, which was made by Janet Napolitano before she resigned earlier this month as secretary of Homeland Security.
“With Paul at its helm, SCN has played a vital leadership role in educating our community and raising awareness about security, helping protect our community from potential harm,” JFNA President Jerry Silverman said in a statement.
The panel, with 35 members, is chaired by William Webster, a former chief of the FBI and CIA, and includes William Bratton, a former Los Angeles police chief; Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley; New York police chief Raymond Kelly; Lee Hamilton, a former chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee; and Fran Townsend, a commentator who was a security adviser to President George W. Bush.
The council “provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary on matters related to homeland security,” according to the department’s website and “comprises leaders from state and local government, first responder communities, the private sector, and academia.”
The Secure Community Network is a joint initiative of JFNA and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Goldenberg, who helped found the SCN in 2005, has developed close working relationships with top Homeland Security officials and advised other faith communities in setting up similar networks. He is a veteran of police forces in New Jersey and Florida.
