ADL and Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly recently brought together 200 leaders of Jewish community organizations from throughout New England with dozens of federal, state and local law enforcement officials for a meeting titled, "Security Awareness in a Time of Threats and Uncertainty."

Representatives from the FBI Boston office's Counterterrorism Squad and the Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force, state and local law enforcement officials, and a professional security consultant addressed issues of safety and security pertaining to the Jewish community. They focused on the challenge of being responsible in the face of ongoing threats without over-reacting or abandoning the openness and warmth of the Jewish community.

"In the current times of threats and uncertainty, it is imperative that we increase the flow of crucial information from security groups to local Jewish community organizations," said Rob Leikind, Director of the ADL Boston Regional Office. "Preparedness and knowledge allow our local communities to be as safe as possible while continuing to function normally in the face of danger."

Chiefs and officers from communities throughout the region, including Secretary of Public Safety and Commonwealth Security Edward Flynn, representatives from the Office of United States Attorney Michael Sullivan, and the Massachusetts State Police, attended the meeting, which was co-sponsored by a variety of New England Jewish community organizations.

Secretary Flynn, who was the Arlington, Virginia, Police Chief during the September 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon, spoke about the communal responsibility to behave prudently and bravely in order to send the right message to children.

"Are we going to face this threat like Israel has, or behave like Chicken Little?" he said.

Other speakers addressed specific issues such as the need for citizens to be alert and aware of their surroundings, and the value of reaching out to other communities, including the Muslim and Arab populations, as the Jewish community addresses heightened threats.