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Homeland Security Inspired by Jews

Plus, Yids make crafty little guards

by
Ari M. Brostoff
October 16, 2009

Jewish-run private security companies are a hot topic on both sides of the Atlantic this week (if, of course, you use local Jewish papers as your barometer of hotness). On our side of the pond, the Department of Homeland Security is reportedly using a national Jewish security network as a model for the kind of infrastructure it hopes other faith communities will adopt. The four-year-old Secure Community Network connects Jewish institutions with 96 Homeland Security liaisons around the country.

In London, meanwhile, two Jewish brothers who’ve been running a private security firm since 2004 say that their industry is thriving in the battered economy, since hard times mean more crime. And, according to younger brother Nick Conn, it’s a great field for small, cunning Jews: “People think that security is about being big and tough. This is not the case. For example, when you are securing a rich Arab who has come over here, being really big and dressed in a suit will just draw attention to the person you are guarding.” Not only that, but older bro Adam Conn says that guarding bar mitzvah parties against unwanted “kids and gate crashers” is a growing field. Score!

Ari M. Brostoff is Culture Editor at Jewish Currents.