-- Winter 2005 Edition --

Fair Lawn's Homeland Security Initiative   Steve Kobrin, a member of the Shomrei Torah Orthodox Congregation on Morlot Avenue, has been living in Fair Lawn for twenty years.    “This is a wonderful community for Jewish people", he says.  "With eleven different synagogues, we have become one of the major Jewish communities in New Jersey.  Jews of all denominations have come to live here.  There’s a growing Orthodox community and the businesses that cater to us -- kosher bakeries, delis, pizza, grocery stores -- have been thriving.”   However, as in just about every other town with Jewish residents, Fair Lawn has had problems with anti-Semitism. There have been reported verbal assaults, physical assaults and other acts of intimidation. Kobrin helped organize a new group -- the Jewish Committee for Safety and Security (JCCS) -- to deal with this problem, and currently is the Committee’s executive director.   After several meetings, the group's concerns quickly broadened to encompass an even broader issue -- homeland security in Fair Lawn .    “We need to look out for one another”, he told Fair Lawn News.  “We need to establish a good dialogue across all the ethnic and religious groups in the community.  We want to resolve any animosity that might exist between the various groups.  When people get along, a community is a safer place.”    “Recently, someone poured gasoline on a building in Brooklyn.  If someone who hates Jews was walking by that synagogue, he might not have reported that incident to the police.  He might have thought ‘I don’t like those people anyway.’  Likewise, a Jew who feels discriminated against might not report a problem that he sees, if he feels threatened by neighbors who hate him because of his religious affiliation.”   Fair Lawn has become much more diverse in recent years.  “We now have a large Sikh temple off Saddle River Road [in Glen Rock] and a growing Sikh population", Kobrin says.  "I know that there has been some hostility towards the Sikhs in town, especially since September 11, 2001. We have not had lynchings or cross-burnings – but if we have animosity, then neighbors might not report problems, out of spite.  Homeland security requires the cooperation of neighbors.  If we have animosity, we won’t have the vigilance we need.”   Kobrin says that some people don’t like to talk about this issue.  “Some people are concerned that we could taint the image of Fair Lawn as a ‘nice safe town’.  It is nice and it is safe, but it can be safer from a homeland security perspective.  Some people just don’t want to talk about homeland security because they don’t want to think about it.  But, by talking about it publicly, we can get public awareness and help deal with the problem.  We need to get everyone aware of the problem in order to deal with it.”   Thanks to the efforts of Kobrin and others, Police Office Glenn Callons is now helping to organize an Interfaith Council – a town-wide organization that can discuss issues and solutions.   Kobrin noted that people need to get along not just to help deal with terrorism and crime, but also for emergency situations such as hurricanes and blackouts.   "Any racial and religious hostility can prevent people from working together, when they most need each other."   “Our overall goal is have all religious groups activated on homeland security.  Our churches and synagogues already have good communication channels and camaraderie.  We have to remember that we are all potential targets – Jews, Christians, moderate Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus.”   Other members of the growing Committee include: Alisa Bodner, Michael Bodner, Marvin Feil, Rich Felner, Michael Glass, Debby Kobrin, Rabbi Michael Rosenzweig, and Jerry Schranz.   For more information on the JCCS, contact Jerry Schranz, Publicity Director at jschranz@fairlawnsecurity.com.   You can also see their new website at www.fairlawnsecurity.com.