HARRISBURG, Pa. — Houses of worship around Allegheny County received more than $1.1 million in state grants to enhance their security, as hate crimes continue to rise in the state.
This grant program was created three years ago after the Tree of Life synagogue attack in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, which was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Pennsylvania ranked No. 1 in the nation for hate propaganda last year, according to a recent report from the Anti-Defamation League. Hate crimes doubled in the state between 2019 and 2020, and reached a 14-year high.
Rodef Shalom Congregation in Shadyside is one of the 21 religious nonprofits that received a grant from this program in the latest round of funding, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office announced earlier this month.
“We can’t say it won’t happen here because it already did,” said Barb Feige, the former executive director of Tree of Life, who now leads Rodef Shalom.
Rodef Shalom congregation plans to use its $150,000 grant to install safety posts around the facility’s perimeter, update its security cameras and add lighting to its parking lot, among other safety updates, said Mayda Roth, a certified fundraising executive at Rodef Shalom.
Rodef Shalom still houses two of the displaced congregations from Tree of Life, including Tree of Life and Dor Hadash, while the synagogue is rebuilt.
Several other Jewish organizations in Allegheny County received security grants, including $150,000 each for Chabad of Squirrel Hill and Chabad Lubavitch of South Hills. Religious nonprofits across denominations received grants ranging from $10,000 to $117,000, including Carlow University, non-denominational church Legacy International Worship Center, First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Bethany Baptist Church, Perry Highway Evangelical Lutheran Church of Wexford, Attawheed Islamic Center and more.
Rodef Shalom is the oldest congregation in Western Pennsylvania, and its synagogue in Shadyside is a national landmark.
Safety precautions, such as security guards or cameras, are necessary to “keep our facility welcoming and yet aware of the times,” Roth said.
The synagogue will see more than 5,000 visitors in May, as local organizations use the space for events and as a voting precinct for the May 17 primary election.
Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, said he worked with Senate leaders Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills and Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, to secure the grants for the more than 20 local religious nonprofits that received funds.
“We need this more than ever,” Frankel said in an interview last week.
One local LGBTQ organization received funds as part of this grant program, which was made available to local religious groups and other organizations that serve diverse communities. Allies for Health and Wellbeing, a Pittsburgh LGBTQ-focused medical clinic, received nearly $37,000 as part of the grant program. It will use it to help fund part of its security coordinator’s salary and staff training in nonviolent crisis intervention, said Mary Beth Wyko, the communications manager for the clinic.
“Unfortunately, (LGBTQ people) are a community that is often targeted by people with prejudicial ideas and they do sometimes strike out in violent ways,” Wyko said. “We want Allies for Health and Wellbeing to be a safe place for people to come and get treatment ... and this grant allows us to maintain that as a safe space for people.”
Costa said religious nonprofits are “highly vulnerable to hate crimes,” and hopes the Legislature will use Wolf’s budget proposal to give $10 million to this security grant program as part of upcoming budget negotiations.
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