In 2012, Jewish Federation Los Angeles launched the Community Security Initiative (CSI) to combat the rising threat of terrorism and to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the Jewish community. CSI serves a unique role in helping protect every school, synagogue, summer camp, and nonprofit organization in Jewish Los Angeles and the surrounding Southern California region. It also functions as a single point of contact for critical incident coordination, information sharing, safety and security training, and physical risk resources for all linked Jewish institutions in our region. These links create unprecedented access to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Individuals at Jewish organizations are equipped with the necessary instruction and awareness to empower themselves against potential threats. CSI stays vigilant during the day and awake throughout the night, keeping a watchful eye on the entire community — so we can all sleep safely and soundly.
Given the rising threat of domestic terrorism and persistent threat environment, CSI is constantly evolving to stay proactive in keeping every Jewish school, synagogue, summer camp, and organization prepared and resilient. Within all these institutions are people, many of them children, who we need to protect. Thanks to CSI, we can.
Since its inception, CSI has compiled a database linking over 700 Jewish institutions across 40,000 square miles, conducted security vulnerability assessments at hundreds of Jewish sites, and trained thousands of community members in safety and security awareness. All services CSI provides to the community are at no cost to the institution. In 2025, CSI partnered with Jewish Federations contiguous to Los Angeles — the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, Jewish Federation of Ventura County, and Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys — to extend the CSI security umbrella. CSI also expanded its services to other non-Federation-aligned communities in areas such as San Luis Obispo, Bakersfield, and Riverside. Being part of the CSI network helps ensure that if a threat to any one location arises, we are all connected and prepared.
If you have any questions, please contact CSI@JewishLA.org or through our CSI Intake Form.
Report an incident or suspicious activity, or contact CSI through the CSI Reporting Form.
