Jewish institutions' security spending in U.S. tops $1 billion
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New York Police Department Counter Terrorism officers guard the entrance to Temple Emanu-El in New York City last October. Photo: Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Antisemitic threats have pushed the nationwide cost of protecting Jewish synagogues, schools and community centers past $1 billion a year, new estimates reveal as congregations prepare for big crowds during the High Holy Days, which began Friday with Rosh Hashanah.
Why it matters: Enhanced security has become a growing expense for Jewish communities, congregation leaders say, often taking up money that could pay for teachers, summer camps, elder care and other programs.
By the numbers: Jewish communal institutions are now spending an estimated $1.02 billion annually on security, a record high, according to new data from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).
- That's up 33% from the federation's previous annual estimate of $765 million in 2024.
- More than 4,500 synagogues, Jewish community centers, schools, summer camps and other nonprofits spend an average of roughly $225,000 each, the group said.
- Security personnel — including guards and security directors — account for the largest share.
Of that total, about $150 million goes toward security technology and the "hardening" of buildings — upgrades that can include security cameras, reinforced doors and controlled-entry systems — as well as maintaining existing security equipment.
- The estimate doesn't include security costs at more than 1,600 kosher restaurants, about 500 kosher markets and groceries, and other privately owned Jewish businesses.
State of play: Synagogues are increasingly moving beyond security guards and cameras to layered, year-round systems that include hardened entrances, trained congregants as security personnel and coordination with police.
- More than 7,100 volunteers now help protect more than 500 synagogues and events each week, according to Community Security Service (CSS), a nonprofit that now protects more than 500 synagogues across the U.S.
- The expanded security comes as assaults linked to antisemitism have reached their highest level since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking them in 1979.
What they're saying: "I cannot tell you whether we're safer or less safe," CSS CEO Richard Priem told Axios. "I can tell you that there's a lot more capability right now protecting the Jewish community than there was a few years ago."
- JFNA CEO Eric Fingerhut said the tradeoff is stark. "Every dollar our community spends on guards and cameras is a dollar not spent on Jewish education."
Context: The estimated Jewish communal security tab is more than three times the size of the entire federal grant pool available to vulnerable nonprofits nationwide.
- FEMA made $300 million available through the FY 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program for nonprofits at high risk of terrorist or extremist attacks.
- A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress this year, the Jewish American Security Act, would authorize $1 billion annually from FY 2027 through FY 2031 for the grant program, and loosen limits on using the money for security personnel.
Yes, but: More recent data present a mixed picture. Antisemitic incidents surged after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, rising 140% that year and climbing again to a record high in 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
- FBI data show reported anti-Jewish hate crime incidents fell 21% in 2025, from 1,938 to 1,528, but were still the third-most on record.
- Anti-Jewish incidents still accounted for about 63% of all religion-based hate crimes and 14% of all reported hate crimes last year.
- Separately, the ADL found overall antisemitic incidents fell 33% last year, even as physical assaults rose to a 46-year high.
