RELEASE: Gottheimer Announces Record $4.8 Million in Nonprofit Security Grants, Stands Against Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Other Forms of Hate

Above: Gottheimer announces new Nonprofit Security Grants

TEANECK, NJ — Today, May 3, 2024, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) visited Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls to announce a record $4.8 million in Nonprofit Security Grants to 34 nonprofit organizations across North Jersey. The grantees — a mix of synagogues, mosques, churches, gurdwaras, religious schools, and religious community centers — will use their Nonprofit Security Grants to invest in physical protections, security technology, and training to keep their communities safe.

29 of the 34 grantees, including Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School, received the maximum Nonprofit Security Grant: $150,000. This marks the seventh straight year in which Gottheimer has clawed back security investment for North Jersey. Since entering office, he has delivered more than $10.3 million in Nonprofit Security Grants to the Fifth District, the most of any district in the state.

Video of Gottheimer’s remarks here. 

“We must ensure that all people are safe — on college campuses, in our neighborhoods, at our schools, at our churches, mosques, and synagogues. That’s what Nonprofit Security Grants are all about,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “To help combat hate, since I was sworn in, I’ve been focused on clawing millions of federal dollars from Washington back to North Jersey through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program every year that I’ve been in Congress. We’ve gotten the most of any other district in the state — $10.3 million total. And this year was historic. I’m incredibly honored to announce that we are clawing back more for our communities this year than any prior year in my tenure.”

“Our students, like Jewish students all over the United States, have been on the frontlines of rising antisemitism in their neighborhoods at an alarming rate. All Americans, across our country, want their children to be safe and have the security and safety to practice their religion without intimidation or threats of any kind, as an American right enshrined in our Constitution,” said CB Neugroschl, Head of Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls. “We’re grateful to Representative Gottheimer for standing by our community, for supporting our institutions in the critical bills that he has authored and promoted federally across the country.”

Skyrocketing Levels of Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Hate:

• According to the Anti-Defamation League, 2023 was the worst year for antisemitism since they began collecting data in 1979. 
• There were more than 8,000 antisemitic incidents reported in 2023, including more than 5,000 antisemitic incidents reported in 2023, the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
• Nearly 1 in 10 of those incidents reported to the ADL happened in Jersey.
• Bergen County experienced almost quadruple the number of insults, assaults, and death threats in 2023 as compared to the year prior.
• During Eid al-Fitr, Rutgers’ Center for Islamic Life was vandalized, as a suspect smashed artwork and plaques with Quranic verses. 
• A March survey from The Asian American Foundation, focused just across the Hudson River, found that 1 in 5 Asian American New Yorkers had been physically assaulted. It’s disgusting and completely unacceptable.
• The latest data from the FBI shows that the United States is experiencing a record-high in hate crimes since the 1990s. 

Gottheimer’s New Action to Protect Religious Freedom and Stop Hate:

1. Successfully negotiated and passed a $400 million investment for Nonprofit Security Grants nationwide as part of last month’s security and humanitarian aid package. Gottheimer is also advocating for a $385 million investment for the program in Fiscal Year 2025 to reverse budget cuts by extremists in Congress.
2. Led and passed the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act through the House with an overwhelming majority earlier this week. This legislation will give the Department of Education a framework to evaluate antisemitism and hold harassers on campuses accountable for threats and intimidation against students. 
3. Co-leading the bipartisan Countering Antisemitism Act, which contains a Gottheimer-led provision known as the HEAL Act. This bill will help assess the current Holocaust-related resources available to schools and communities to ensure educators have the tools they need to teach future generations about the atrocities of the Holocaust and the devastating impact of antisemitism.

Gottheimer was joined by Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton and Head of Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls CB Neugroschl.

Below: Gottheimer announces new Nonprofit Security Grants