Four local nonprofit organizations have received state grants to help protect them from hate crimes and terror attacks.
St. Pius V School in Lynn, Our Lady of the Assumption School in Lynnfield, Bishop Fenwick High School in Peabody, and Temple Sinai of Swampscott and Marblehead were four of more than 80 agencies that were rewarded with a total of $4.75 million by Gov. Maura Healey and her administration.
Temple Sinai President Barbara Rosenstroch was happy to learn that her organization received the maximum grant amount of $75,000.
“There are a lot of antisemitic incidents that have been going on throughout the country,” Rosenstroch said. “People want to make sure that their children are going to be safe… in their synagogue when they come to our activities or to Shabbat services.”
The funds will be used for the installation of security cameras; access-control hardware for entrances, such as key cards and intercoms; and “panic buttons” throughout the temple that will notify the police if there is an emergency.
“We had to tell them exactly what we wanted to use it for and how much everything was going to cost,” Rosenstroch explained.
St. Pius V was granted $41,000, which will fund the acquisition of new entrance doors. Network Manager Jay Schevis noted how in addition to security improvements, the new doors will also make the school more Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant.
“Our current doors are narrow and double-swinging,” Schevis said. “In order to be ADA-compliant, it has to be a single door for entry.”
While St. Pius V did not receive funding for access-control upgrades, Schevis made it clear he and his peers will continue to work to acquire the resources to implement them.
Bishop Fenwick received $53,000, while Our Lady of the Assumption received $19,702.
“Protecting faith-based and other nonprofit organizations from hate and extremist violence is essential to the safety and security of our communities across Massachusetts,” Healey said in a press release. “We are deeply committed to ensuring that organizations at risk of hate crimes and violence are protected and supported.”
