An Ode To Synagogue Security Teams

Before this year’s preschool fundraiser, I took the time to sit down and interview our three main security guards. I already knew them well – from Saturday mornings at shul, daily preschool drop-offs and pick-ups, and even Sunday Torah study. We weren’t strangers.

My goal at first was simple: create a fun table display for the event called “Get to Know Our Security Team.” I planned to include lighthearted questions and silly answers so people could see the personalities behind the uniforms.

But the interviews became something much more meaningful than I expected.

Each member of our team is retired from law enforcement after long, remarkable careers. None of them are Jewish. Yet each of them chose to take a job protecting a Jewish synagogue and preschool – our community.

After the recent terrorist attack at Temple Israel in Michigan, and the heroism of the security team there who saved the lives of everyone inside, I found myself returning to those interviews. Yes, there were funny questions and great laughs. But some answers genuinely brought me to tears.

When I asked about their favorite thing about our synagogue and preschool, their answers stayed with me.

One said simply, “It’s the people. Everyone is welcoming, appreciative, and understands what needs to get done. I feel supported and valued in my work.”

Another said, “Building trust with the kids. Children don’t always trust adults easily, so when they say hi, open up, and feel comfortable around me – it means a lot. That’s trust I’ve earned.”

And the third told me, “The community. Helping the Jewish community has meant more to me than I ever expected. Between the kids, the rabbis, and the teachers, it really feels like one big family. I genuinely love coming to work – and I tell my wife that all the time.”

When I asked what makes them proud of their work, their answers were just as powerful.

One spoke about being dependable – about the quiet pride of hearing someone say “thank you,” knowing people notice when he isn’t there, and keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes.

Another talked about the internal drive to do the job well, and the importance of knowing that parents trust him to protect their children, that families can sit in shul on Shabbat and feel safe – even when the appreciation isn’t always spoken out loud.

The third said his greatest pride comes from making people feel comfortable and cared for, and always trying to provide service that goes beyond what’s expected.

I wish we lived in a world where Jewish preschools didn’t have to fundraise for armed security. A world where our playgrounds didn’t need fences built like fortresses, where bulletproof glass and the newest surveillance technology weren’t part of the conversation.

But that is the reality we live in.

And in my lifetime, I don’t see that reality changing.

So I want to take a moment to say thank you.

Thank you to the security teams across the Twin Cities who quietly show up every single day and literally put their bodies on the line for us. You are not just employees. When we say thank you, we mean it with a depth of gratitude that is hard to put into words.

You stand with us in a world where hatred exists – but the difference is that you chose to do it. Voluntarily. That choice is profound, and it does not go unnoticed.

Somewhere along the way, you became more than the people standing watch at the doors.

You became our friends. Our family.

And, quite honestly, my children’s heroes.

You help buckle them into their car seats. They run to you for giant hugs at pickup. They talk about you at the dinner table and babble about you in their cribs – I hear it on the baby monitor. They truly adore you.

They want you at their birthday parties.

And my favorite true story: on Simchat Torah this year, I lost my oldest toddler in the chaos. After 30 frantic minutes of searching, I finally found him exactly where I should have looked first – standing proudly beside one of his best friends, “monitoring the situation” right alongside you.

Of course he was. In his mind, that’s where the heroes stand.

So while the news out of Michigan fills us with grief and anger, it also fills me with a deeper gratitude than I have ever felt before.

Because every morning when I drop my children off at preschool and see our security team standing there, I don’t just see guards. I see protectors. I see allies. I see people who have quietly woven themselves into the fabric of our community.

And I see the reason why, even in a world where hatred still exists, Jewish life continues.

Our children keep learning.

Our families keep gathering.

Our community keeps showing up.

Because standing at the doors are people who make sure we can.

And for that, there will never be enough ways to say thank you.