What messages are we sending when the Jewish community chooses to rely on police? How do we keep ourselves safe? Can we find alternatives?

About this event

Judaism On Our Own Terms is hosting a panel discussion, co-sponsored by Jews for Racial & Economic Justice. In this event we hope to examine the relationships between the Jewish community and law enforcement. Amidst the rise of white supremacist attacks on the Jewish community, many Jewish institutions have strengthened ties to law enforcement in the hopes of finding safety. At the same time, increased frequency of police terror against Black Americans has brought about a public reckoning with the racism inherent to the institution of American law enforcement.

Many of us in the Jewish community grew up expecting to see and find comfort in armed security outside of synagogues. How has this automatic trust in the police shaped our community and how we relate to our own community members as well as those we wish to find solidarity with? How have the police and Jewish communities historically viewed one another and what have been the outcomes of these partnerships? In this panel discussion, we will analyze the ways in which white supremacy drives Jews to seek safety from the very institutions that endanger us all.

What is the historical relationship between the police and Jewish institutions?

What messages are we sending when the Jewish community chooses to rely on the police?

How do we keep ourselves safe? What actually makes us feel secure?

Who is alienated when Jewish institutions partner with the police?

What is lost from these partnerships? What can be gained from finding alternatives to policing?