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We Have to Prepare Against Attacks: Jewish Life in America Today
(New York Post) Bethany Mandel - When my children walk into our synagogue, the first person they see is a guard with a gun, standing outside. This is how Jewish life works in America today. When we sign our kids up for summer camp, preschool or even a holiday program at our synagogue, there is always a line item on the bill labeled "security." When my daughter celebrated her bat mitzvah, we had to pay an extra fee for an armed guard outside the building. Every now and then, something happens that reminds you exactly why that guard is there. On Thursday in West Bloomfield, Mich., a man drove a vehicle packed with explosives into Temple Israel, one of the largest reform synagogues in the U.S. Inside the building, 140 young children attended preschool. The attacker rammed the building and opened fire before he was ultimately stopped by armed security. A mass-casualty attack was miraculously avoided because of the bravery and fast thinking of the armed guard. What prevented catastrophe was preparation. Just weeks before the attack, the synagogue had hosted FBI training for staff and security personnel on how to respond to an active shooter. Jewish institutions operate under a level of threat that most non-Jewish Americans never have to think about.