How a California bill can protect religious freedom across America

“Long live the intifada!” That is what a hostile crowd screamed last June at Jews trying to enter Adas Torah in LA, a house of worship. 

The mob blocked entrances and tried to stop Jewish congregants from going inside to celebrate their religion. Things turned violent quickly, as several Jews were harassed and intimated.  

A few months later, in December, at the historic Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a group of protestors, shouting slogans associated with anti-Israel terrorism, blocked entrances, intimated visibly identifiable Jews, and even managed to enter the facility, disrupting events, causing damage, and creating fear.

And those events were just in LA.

Across the United States, we have seen individuals seek to disrupt the right of the Jewish community to come together to practice our religion freely.

Surrounding synagogue entrances with protesters to intimidate Jews has sadly become a national problem. It’s happening in New York City, too, and other places. 

This is not just an attack on Jews. It is a fundamental attack on religious freedom and the values that our nation was founded upon.

But in LA, a solution is waiting. 

Assemblywoman Rebecca Bauer-Kahan has introduced a bill, AB 2664, to create a 100-foot buffer zone around the entrances to religious buildings, so congregants can be protected from aggressive protestors.

This would go beyond federal restrictions under the FACE Act, which have not been enough to deter aggressive protesters.  

Protests can still take place, but they can’t interfere with someone’s right to gain access to, or become blocked inside, their house of worship.

The protections offered by legislation like this ensure the safety and security of those looking to exercise their freedom of religion. These protections also protect bystanders — and protesters.

As someone who has dedicated myself to upholding the values of our country through uniformed service, I recognize the importance of protecting the right to free speech. 

But I also know that when an aggrieved group takes to the streets chanting the slogans of designated terrorist organizations while seeking to block houses of prayer, that is not a right. It is illegal. 

Moreover, when left unchecked, these actions, and those they inspire can be deadly. 

Violence and death were the outcomes at two other recent Jewish events: the targeted murders of two young people attending a Jewish event at a synagogue in Washington, DC, in May; and the ISIS-inspired attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, Australia in December.

To deal with these threats, Jews are forced to pay what amounts to a security tax.

Simply to gather in peace, America’s Jewish community has invested significantly in security over the last several years, largely under the leadership of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). 

A dedicated non-profit organization run by retired law enforcement and intelligence professionals, the Secure Community Network, was created to secure the Jewish community across the country.

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As of this month, every Jewish community across the United States has access to a professional security director – former members of law enforcement – that meet identified standards and are able to use standardized, best practice materials developed by SCN – in partnership with others, to include law enforcement – to assess facilities, implement physical security solutions, train community members in life saving and community protection skills, and coordinate with law enforcement.

No other religious group in the United States must engage in these security activities. Jews do, and it is costing us over $765 million a year.

That’s why Assemblywoman Bauer-Kahan’s bill makes so much sense.

Her measures are a blueprint for the type of action needed across the country, as Americans of all faiths should be able to walk to a house of worship free from harassment or victimization. 

The enactment of measures like this would also better protect law enforcement, who are placed on the front lines between individuals who are often willing to attack police as well as to intimidate law-abiding members of the community.

It would be a mistake to think the targeting of the Jewish community is limited to one religion. Churches and mosques could one day face the same danger.

Establishing clear, constitutional time and place restrictions on protests to protect the free exercise of religion and the free use of houses of worship can better protect not just the Jewish community, but also civil society everywhere in the United States. 

Michael Masters is the National Director and CEO of the Secure Community Network, the official safety and security organization for the Jewish community in North America.