CATT Training

GET INVOLVED. GET EMPOWERED. GET TRAINED.

A Critical Request from the Leadership of Or Hadash

To All Community Members,
As antisemitic hatred has increased across the country, Or Hadash has undertaken many initiatives to increase the safety of our facility. Recent upgrades include our new doors and upgraded fobs. Unfortunately, “hardening our facility” is simply not a sufficient strategy to keep us safe in the event that an armed intruder attacks Or Hadash. In the event that someone attempts to breach our synagogue, individuals inside the building absolutely must know how to counter an active threat. To that end, we have arranged for the Secure Community Network (SCN) to provide a Countering Active Threat Training (CATT) at Or Hadash on Sunday, January 8 from 12:30 - 2pm. The training will be tailored to our idiosyncratic building. 

Since there is no predicting when an active threat might occur, it is imperative that participants from every part of the Or Hadash community attend this CATT training. This includes board members, staff, representatives of each committee, group and havurah, service-goers, SMILE school faculty, parents and teens as well as organizations that rent and use our building. This will be an in-person training but those who absolutely cannot participate in person may register to watch some of it on Zoom. People of all abilities are welcome. Survivors of the synagogue breaches in both Squirrel Hill and Colleyville credit active threat training with saving lives. We pray that no such calamity will befall our beloved Or Hadash congregation. The only thing that would be worse would be losing lives because too few of us participated in this CATT training. This flier (please click on attached file below) provides more information about what to expect. Please register here by Thursday, January 5.

Barrie Mittica, President               Rabbi Alanna Sklover         Eileen Kupersmith, Security Task Force           Rabbi Erin Hirsh, Education Director

Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved the whole world.
- Talmud, Sanhedrin 37a