Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 11 October 2023

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against, and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters. 

FB-ISAO Newsletter, October 2023, v5, Issue 10

This month’s FB-ISAO newsletter covers:

• FB-ISAO’s Working Groups and Information Sharing Communities
  • Two capabilities available to members are Working Groups and Information Sharing Communities. Both capabilities lean heavily on collaboration among members. B-ISAO’s Working Groups and Information Sharing Communities
• Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM) is 20 Years Old
  • Simple actions we should all take not only during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but every day throughout the year.
• Spotlight: Education on Arms in the House
  • Protecting Houses of Worship is a complex and challenging endeavor. When the topic of weapons or no weapons is added to the list of items that the security team needs to consider, the complexity and challenges grow exponentially. There is no one answer!
• The newsletter also provides:
  • FB-ISAO Physical and Cyber Threat Levels
  • Board of Advisors info
  • Contact info
  • How to join FB-ISAO
  • How member can join FB-ISAO
  • Upcoming FB-ISAO events

Analyst Comments:

Go to the FB-ISAO Newsletter to get detailed information on the above topics.

Want this newsletter delivered directly to your inbox each month? Membership in FB-ISAO is open to all Faith-Based Organizations including Houses of Worship, Charities, Faith-Based Schools and their affiliated organizations. Join FB-ISAO!

Once you have joined FB-ISAO, you can become part of the security solution by joining a FB-ISAO Working Groups or Information Sharing Community.

Advisories

• FBI PSA – Situation in Israel

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are issuing this notification to advise of an ongoing issue of potential public safety concern consequent to the Hamas attacks in Israel. The FBI and DHS are actively monitoring the situation in Israel and any implications these horrific terrorist attacks pose to the domestic threat environment. As with any potential threats to the United States, we will coordinate with our partners to ensure they have the resources and information necessary to keep our communities safe.

• • While we continue to collect and analyze intelligence from a variety of sources, we do not currently have specific intelligence reflecting additional attack planning against the United States stemming from the HAMAS attacks in Israel which began on October 7, 2023. However, foreign terrorist organizations and their supporters remain committed to attacking the United States within and beyond our borders. In recent years, there have been several events and incidents in the United States that were purportedly motivated, at least in part, by the conflict between Israel and HAMAS. These have included the targeting of individuals, houses of worship, and institutions associated with the Jewish and Muslim faiths with acts of physical assault, vandalism, or harassment.
  • Anti-Semitism permeates many violent extremist ideologies and serves as a primary driver for attacks by a diverse set of violent extremists who pose a persistent threat to Jewish communities and institutions in the United States and abroad. Foreign terrorist organizations have exploited previous conflicts between Israel and HAMAS via media outlets and online communications to call on their supporters located in the United States to conduct attacks. Some violent extremists have used times of heightened tensions to incite violence against religious minorities, targeting both Jewish and Muslim Americans.

• The ADL Center on Extremism has issued the following Community Advisory:

“Overview: The Center of Extremism (COE) is aware of a call put out by National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)  for a “Day of Resistance” to be held on Thursday, October 12, in support of the Hamas attack on Israel. The group is calling for events to take place on college campuses across the United States and internationally, and encourages participants to hold demonstrations on campuses, host events or engage in a disruptive manner to highlight the cause of Palestinian resistance and contribute to “dismantling Zionism.” At this time, no direct calls for violence on campus have been observed, but the confrontational nature of this day of action could create a hostile environment for Jewish students, and raises concerns that the SJP events could lead to acts of harassment of vandalism targeting Jewish students and organizations.”

• Israel war: Eric Adams warns of terror attack on NYC by ‘lone wolves’ radicalized by Hamas

New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned of possible lone-wolf terrorist attacks by individuals radicalized by Hamas following a gruesome act of terrorism in Israel.

Analyst Comments:

Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) on campuses should consider taking extra precautions tomorrow, 12 October. Off-campus FBOs should also be aware that activities can spill out of campuses. All FBOs should consider preparing for a wide variety of threats due to unfolding events in Israel and Gaza.

Synagogues and Mosques Take Extra Precautions

MD: MoCo Police up security around synagogues amid attacks in Israel

Canada: Barrie police increase security at local synagogues and mosques

CA: Police patrols help ease security concerns at Oakland’s Temple Beth Abraham

OR: Ashland synagogue increasing security after attacks on Israel

Community Advisory: CAIR Urges Religious Institutions, Activists to Take Security Precautions After Surge in Threatening Rhetoric

Video: CAIR-NJ Urges Mosques to Take Precautions

Groups work to protect Jewish Americans following Hamas attack on Israel

Analyst Comments:

As was stated in yesterday’s Daily Awareness Post, if not already done so, FBOs should consider contacting local law enforcement to coordinate more closely during this time of heightened threats. During “normal” levels of threats, FBOs should consider applying for all available non-profit, community, and faith-related grants. FBOs should also consider strengthening their relationship with local and regional law enforcement agencies before an incident or heightened threats.

The following websites provide resources that the Daily Awareness Post has included in past posts. With events unfolding in Israel and Gaza, this is a good time to review the material.

• DHS posted Resources and Information for Faith and Community Leaders Regarding the Situation in Israel
• Also, The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships releases Allied Against Hate: A Toolkit for Faith Communities – Tools and Resources to Protect Places of Worship.

Info Sharing

• FB-ISAO members are sharing additional information on this event as well as information about domestic protests and security coordination activities in FB-ISAO Slack. Join here.
• For protest activity updates, please plug in to FB-ISAO Slack.
• FB-ISAO members, other ISACs, and security partners from trusted communities are collaborating in the National Council of ISACs’ Slack Workspace. ISAC and ISAO members are welcome to join via their respective organizations.