Dear HEA Community,
Our hearts continue to ache as we follow the events unfolding in Israel. Amidst our overwhelming feelings of sadness and fear, we affirm our solidarity with the people of Israel and our desire for peace and security in our homeland. And, now perhaps more than ever, we need our synagogue for support and guidance, affirming the enduring spirit of “Am Yisrael Chai” (The Jewish People Live!). We want to share with you how our community is responding, and some ways we all can turn our fear and sadness into compassionate action.
Solidarity Shabbat – Saturday, October 28, 9:30 a.m. (Traditional and Shir Hadash)
We invite you to attend services this Saturday for Solidarity Shabbat as we join with synagogues around the world in standing with Jewish people everywhere. In the face of rising hostility toward Israel and Jews, showing up and participating in Jewish life is a powerful act of love and pride.
Safety and Security
The safety of our campus and well-being of our community members, students, guests, and staff is a top priority. With every new threat that has arisen in recent years, we have developed a robust security posture that deploys multiple layers of human, technological, physical, and informational resources. If you have questions or feedback about safety and security at HEA, please contact Caryn Osterman.
For Shabbat, holidays and other large gatherings, we will continue to contract with Denver Police officers to patrol the facility and support our trained Security/Greeter team.
Starting November 6, we will be working with a private security firm to provide armed security guards to patrol the building Sunday through Friday, during preschool and office hours, as well as during religious school. This is in addition to our reception staff who check in visitors and monitor our entrance and security cameras.
In an immediate response to the events of October 7th, our trained Security/Greeter team and staff went above the call of duty to provide additional staffing around the building and at the lower entrance from the main parking lot during preschool and office hours. Please thank them on Shabbat for their dedication to the well-being of our community.
We are in continuous contact with law enforcement and security experts, in coordination with JEWISHcolorado and Security Community Network, to monitor and reevaluate our security protocols and procedures to ensure we are doing all we can to keep our community safe.
These additional measures come at a considerable cost, and we are grateful to donors who have come forward in the last week to support our efforts, and we thank our members who have contributed through their annual security assessment. If you wish to contribute to the Security Fund, we've provided a link below or you can call our office. To learn more about safety and security at HEA, we will soon have a resource page on our website (currently under construction).
