Having just come back from our partnership region in northern Israel, I expected this week’s message to focus on that—and it will—but first I want to address the email that went to the community yesterday, informing of a duty to warn that came from Edmonton Police Service (EPS) to the Federation and to the three synagogues.  

Community security is a key priority of our work and one we take seriously. We recognize that sharing information about security causes concern and stress. However, we believe it is in the best interest of the community to be open, honest, and transparent when significant news like this comes in to us. 

Bottom line: if EPS has a duty to warn us, then we have a duty to pass that on to you, and you can count on us to do that. We will always share what we learn about security information and alerts with you, so that everyone in our community can have a shared understanding of the situation.  

I would like to briefly to dive deeper into what we know from the Edmonton Police Service and the immediate actions we are taking.  

First, the EPS alert was based on what they term “a duty to warn”. EPS describes this as a legal obligation that they have to inform a potential victim of a threat. They have opened an investigation and cannot provide additional details while it is ongoing. We are grateful for their work on this. 

Second, it’s always best to stick to the facts. It’s natural to wonder whether the threat extends to other organizations and if we are safe. When I asked about the possibility of cancelling our board meeting that was to take place at Beth Shalom Synagogue that evening, or upcoming Shabbat services, I was told by EPS that this was not an imminent threat.  

Please bear that in mind and share this with your friends and family. It is important that we all tread the fine line where we take this seriously while not adding our own speculation. In cases like this, it is best to follow our lead on the facts from law enforcement. 

While the investigation progresses, I am remaining updated and will notify the synagogue’s leaders and community as soon as there is more information to divulge. 

As Winston Churchill has said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” This jarring event provided the opportunity for synagogue leadership to double check cameras are in working order, and that they refreshed their established security protocols with staff and volunteers for entry, emergency, and communications. This was also a chance to implement increased vigilance, such as reviewing overnight camera footage each morning and ensuring perimeter sweeps were being done upon arrival at to the building. I want to thank them for their prompt response. Here are the urgent steps our Federation is taking, which are made possible by your generous contributions to the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) campaign:

Additional EPS patrols of Jewish institutions 

I have been in regular contact with the acting police chief, superintendent, and staff sergeant, who has ensured that additional patrols are being made around our synagogues and institutions out of an abundance of caution. 

Community-wide security training 

One benefit of being part of a national federated system is the relationship and generosity of our sister communities across Canada. Upon contacting Yair Szlak, CEO of Federation CJA in Montreal, he promptly arranged for me to consult with their community security director to improve synagogue protocols and explore additional safety measures. Without hesitation, David offered to be in Edmonton on Sunday, March 30, to provide a full afternoon of training, from the pillars of security awareness and prevention to emergency preparedness, including lockdown procedures. 

We are opening this to any community member who would come out to ensure that we are all prepared and vigilant. Thank you to the dozens who have already signed up. Please register now to help keep our community safe. 

LiveSecure and the new regional security model 

While I dropped everything to attend to this matter yesterday, the one meeting I did not move was with the Jewish Federations of North America’s LiveSecure program, as we are taking steps towards a regional security model with an ongoing dedicated resource that is integrated to national partners and standards. I will look forward to sharing more with you as this process continues.  

The mantra of community resilience and ‘building back better’ as we emerge from a crisis was top of mind this week, having heard and seen this in action in our partnership region in Israel. My lay counterpart, Partnership2Gether (P2G) Steering Committee Co-Chair Barbara Crook, captured the essence of the trip in this article. Please take a minute to read about our incredible region. We look forward to sharing our insights with you in an upcoming Shabbat message.  

Now, more than ever, we need to turn to one another, to be united in our resolve to live proud Jewish lives in Edmonton. The synagogues eagerly await your presence this Shabbat. If you are feeling overwhelmed, please reach out to Jewish Family Services who have professional counsellors on staff who you can talk with. 

I want to take a moment to give a special welcome to Becky Saegert who has joined our team as senior director, strategic development. Please join me in welcoming Becky to our Jewish Federation. You can reach her at bsaegert@edjfed.org.

Shabbat Shalom, 

Stacey