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July 21, 2004
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations Applauds
Senate Panel Approval of Homeland Security Aid for At-Risk
Non-Profits; Applauds Rejection of Durbin Amendment to Exclude
Religious Facilities from Coverage;
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the
nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization
representing nearly 1,000 synagogues – applauded the Senate
Committee on Governmental Affairs for today approving S.2275 – the
High-Risk Non-Profit Security Enhancement Act – at committee
mark-up and the committee’s rejection of an amendment offered by
Senator Durbin (D-IL) which would have explicitly excluded
religious non-profits from participating in this critical program.
One year ago, the UOJCA joined with a coalition of America’s
leading non-profit organizations (including United Jewish
Communities, American Jewish Congress, the Red Cross and the
United Way) and members of the U.S. Congress to develop and
introduce this new legislation which would provide financial aid
to non-profit institutions at risk of terrorist attack. The risk
to such institutions since 9/11 is clear. Former CIA Director
Tenet and FBI Director Mueller have publicly stated that al Qaeda
has turned its focus to “soft targets” such as schools,
universities and houses of worship. Of particular concern to the
UOJCA, are the deadly attacks upon synagogues which have been
perpetrated in Istanbul and Tunisia. S.2275 enjoys broad
bipartisan support – it is sponsored in the Senate by Senators
Specter (R-Pa) and Mikulski (D-Md) and a dozen other senators.
S.2275 will create a $100 million fund within the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security (“DHS”) from which DHS will pay for physical
security upgrades for non-profit institutions determined, by
objective criteria, to be at risk from terrorist threat. The
proposal would also create a system of loan guarantees for such
projects, for when the initial funds are spent, as well as
allocate $50 million for grants to local police agencies toward
their efforts to secure at-risk non-profits.
The Committee rejected the amendment offered by Senator Durbin,
with the support of Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ) by a vote of 10 to 7
(with Democrats Lieberman and Carper voting against the amendment,
Republican Fitzgerald voting for it). Sen. Durbin asserted that
providing federally funded security enhancements to non-profits –
including religious non-profits – would violate the principle of
separation of church and state. Senators Collins, Specter and
Lieberman vigorously refuted this point, noting that such
enhancements would be providing security aid on the basis of
religion-neutral criteria and not advance religion.
UOJCA director of public policy, Nathan Diament, stated:
Concerns about ‘separation of church and state’ in this context
are misguided as this legislation is structured in a way which
goes far beyond what is legally necessary to permit the government
to protect its citizens. Aid will be granted on the basis of
religion-neutral criteria and only for security enhancements, not
religious activities. Senator Durbin’s proposals to exclude
religious entities from coverage relied on an outdated and extreme
view of what the Establishment Clause demands. We are grateful it
was rejected by the Senate Govt. Affairs Cmte.
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