That was the simple, but powerful and urgent message delivered by a delegation from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond on Capitol Hill on June 26, along with more than 400 other Jewish leaders from 100+communities during a two-day emergency security fly-in.     

A seven-member delegation from JCFR- Robyn Galpern, Amy Melnick-Scharf, Karen and Scott Leibowitz, Martha Cohen, Crystal Jackson and JCRC Director Sam Richardson - were part of the contingent who met with more than 200 Congressional representatives.  

The Richmond team also met with Senator Tim Kaine and the Chief of Staff for Senator Mark Warner. Additional meetings were held with staff members of Representatives John McGuire, Jennifer McClellan, and Rob Wittman. 

The emergency fly-in called by Jewish Federations of North America laid out six major initiatives with each representative: 

• A $1 billion increase to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program

• Federal support to offset soaring protection costs for Jewish schools, camps, and events

• Enhanced funding for the FBI and Homeland Security to combat the domestic and global terror threat targeting Jewish communities

• Federal assistance to local law enforcement to strengthen patrols and response capabilities

• Regulation and accountability for incitement and hate speech on social media platforms

• Aggressive enforcement and prosecution of hate crimes

 The JCFR and JCRC Director Sam Richardson are continuing to pursue these initiatives following the meetings. 

Thank you for listening - Senator Tim Kaine and Chief of Staff for Mark Warner, and staff members for Representatives John McGuire, Jennifer McClellan and Rob Wittman on the six-point security plan we delivered.