Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 22 October 2025

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. 

NCTC Bulletin Confirms Ongoing Threats to Christian and Jewish Institutions        

A recently released bulletin by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) via its “Counterterrorism Digest” reports that violent extremists continue to target religious institutions particularly Christian and Jewish facilities in the U.S. The advisory remarks that such institutions are appealing targets because of their symbolic value, their relative accessibility, and often weaker security postures. The report references an ISIS-inspired plot in the UK against Jewish targets and warns of similar threats extending to U.S. churches and synagogues. Despite the seriousness of the threat, the article argues that this intelligence was not proactively distributed to Christian congregations or ministries, creating what the author calls a “notification gap”. As a result, the write contends that many churches must rely on open-source intelligence and self-organized security efforts rather than direct federal alerting.

Analyst Comments: The NCTC bulletin highlights on ongoing concern for faith-based organizations as they remain soft targets for both domestic and international violent extremists. The article recommends that faith-based institutions increase vigilance, build stronger relationships with local law enforcement, share threat information internally, and train volunteers/staff to recognize suspicious behaviors. HOWs establishing a security culture that includes awareness training, visible deterrence measures, and clear reporting protocols can significantly reduce vulnerability as well as maintain vigilance during major holidays and community events.

Brazen, Intensified Antisemitic Incidents in NYC Continue in 2025

The ADL reports that New York City continues to experience a sharp escalation of antisemitic incidents in 2025, marked by bold, brazen acts of harassment, vandalism and targeted attacks against Jewish individuals, communities and institutions. These incidents are not only more frequent but also more openly aggressive, ranging from swastika graffiti and verbal threats to physical confrontations and harassment in public spaces. The uptick is especially tied to heightened tensions surrounding the Middle East conflict and protests connected to it, where anti-Jewish sentiments increasingly overlap with opposition to Israel. The persistence and visibility of these acts signal a heightened risk climate for the city’s Jewish residents and show the need for enhanced community vigilance, strengthened prevention measures and improved coordination with law-enforcement and local institutions.

Analyst Comments: The ADL’s findings reflect a troubling continuation of antisemitic activity in New York City, consistent with nationwide trends observed since late 2023. The increase in frequency suggests that offenders feel emboldened, likely due to heightened social polarization, misinformation online, and spillover from international conflicts. The overlap of antisemitism with anti-Israel rhetoric remains a critical concern, as it often obscures hate-motivated behavior under the guise of political expression. Jewish institutions and organizations should consider maintaining elevated situational awareness and coordinate with NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force. Monitoring social media for event-driven escalation, enhancing physical security measures, and training volunteer greeters all remain essential.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: How to Address Discrimination and Harassment of K-12 Jewish Students. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar

Are you concerned about whether your children or other Jewish students in your lives could face harassment and discrimination in K-12 public schools? What are their rights, and how can you protect them? On November 6 at 12:30 pm ET, join ADL for “How to Help K-12 Jewish Students Address Discrimination and Harassment” — a webinar with our legal experts who will provide you with clear guidance on how Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects Jewish students from harassment and discrimination in public schools. We will discuss the types of discrimination that are prohibited, and the responsibilities of school districts to address it. You will come away with practical steps you can take if antisemitic incidents occur.

Weekly Security Sprint EP 132. Third Party Resilience, Ransomware reports, and Human Risk

The Gate 15 Security Sprint is a weekly rundown of the week’s notable all-hazards security news, risks and threats and some of the key focus areas for organizations to consider behind the headlines. Gate 15 team members discuss physical security, cybersecurity, natural hazards, health threats and other issues across our environment.

In this week’s Weekly Security Spring Dave and Andy covered the following topics:

• The White House fired 176 CISA employees on Friday, with more layoffs feared Layoffs, reassignments further deplete CISA
• Top cyber lawmaker wants answers on CISA workforce reductions
• Tech industry unites behind bipartisan effort to urgently reauthorize US cyber threat information sharing law
• What They Are Saying: Technology Stakeholders Urge Passage Of Peters & Rounds Bipartisan Bill To Restore Critical Cybersecurity Protections (CISA 2015)

Information on other Gate 15 podcasts can be found at Podcasts (gate15.global).