WeHo City Council proposes steps to ensure safety of Jewish spaces

West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey P. Horvath introduced an item during the Feb. 7 meeting called Community Safety Protocols & Support for Jewish People, Community Centers, and Places of Worship.

The item recommends several steps that officials and community members can take to ensure the safety and support of Jewish citizens in community centers and places of worship. Included in these steps are:

1. Staff to partner with representatives of the Jewish community, as well as public safety personnel, to address community safety concerns for Jewish people, community centers and places of worship.
2. Staff, in conjunction with community partners, will develop an action plan on the list of measures outlined in the staff report and provide the action plan to other municipalities as a model for local government support of the Jewish community.
3. Staff will share the Jewish Community Safety Plan with relevant organizations including the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles and well as Israeli American Civic Action Network, Jewish Federation Los Angeles, American Jewish Committee Los Angeles, Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles, Israeli American Council Los Angeles and Combat Anti-Semitism.

Among other actions also discussed were creating a calendar of Jewish holidays and community events and planning public safety enhancements in advance of those holidays and events; compiling a list of resources to make available to Jewish community groups; utilizing the site security survey assessment tool created by the Joint Regional Intelligence Center to gather critical information from community centers and places of worship to assist law enforcement in case of an emergency; installing panic buttons at community centers and/or places of worship that initiate a public safety response in case of emergency; and remaining aware of international activity that could correlate to local actions or demonstrations.