(Sept. 4, 2026 / JNS)

Jewish institutions are now spending more than $1 billion annually on security, according to the Jewish Federations of North America, an umbrella group of more than 140 North American Federations.

The $1 billion figure, which doesn’t include Jewish-owned private business costs, marks a 33% increase from $765 million in 2024 and amounts to $225,000 per institution. Most of the costs related to security personnel, the Federation said on Thursday.

Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Federation, stated that “the fact that Jewish communal spending has shot up 33% is a measure of how much more dangerous life has become for Jewish Americans, and sadly we know that we need even more investment to protect ourselves against the rising level of threat.”

“Passing the Jewish American Security Act and fully funding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $1 billion is the single most important step lawmakers can take to keep Jewish Americans and all faith communities safe,” he said. “Every dollar our community spends on guards and cameras is a dollar not spent on Jewish education, on caring for our elderly, on taking care of those in need.”