About CJP:
Temple Sinai, in collaboration with Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), is committed to building a highly engaged, interconnected Jewish community. CJP invests in the care and well-being of our community, the stability and growth of our local organizations, and in research, innovation, and collaborations that make a meaningful impact locally, in Israel, and beyond.

As part of this work, CJP created the Communal Security Initiative (CSI) to provide no-cost, professional security advice, services, and resources to meet the safety and security needs of the community through educating, engaging, and empowering them. CSI also encourages other faith-based organizations to attend our training programs.

BeAware and De-Escalating Training
This 90-minute session offers a comprehensive training program developed specifically for faith-based institutions.

BeAware Situational Awareness Training improves situational awareness and provides the foundation for security training — benefiting personal and organizational security. Participants learn to recognize suspicious or potentially dangerous behavior and learn what actions to take — whether in synagogue, at school, or in everyday situations.

Topics covered:

• Enhancing situational awareness

• Identifying safety and security threats

• Recognizing and reporting suspicious activity

• Learning how to be an active participant in the safety of your community

De-escalation Training equips participants with the knowledge, skills, and techniques to defuse or reduce tension, hostility, or conflict and increase personal safety. This training is beneficial to volunteer greeters, synagogue staff, school staff, and anyone in a public-facing role. 

Topics covered:

• Identifying the initial indicators of escalating behaviors, both verbal and non-verbal

• Demonstrating de-escalation best practices to include active listening, empathizing, verbal diffusion, de-escalation phrases, non-confrontational body language, and facial expressions

• Developing techniques to manage personal emotions in challenging situations to maintain composure and clear thinking

• Understanding how cultural and mental health sensitivity can help de-escalation efforts

This session includes a PowerPoint presentation, videos, and practice scenarios to reinforce central concepts.