By Jon Marks

Long before Oct. 7, Abrams Hebrew Academy Director Rabbi Ira Budow received a harsh lesson in reality.

“One day more than 20 years ago, [an] Israeli security [agent] came and went through the building,” he recalled when starting off a panel discussion at Abrams on Jan. 9 which focused on the need for children to feel safe in school during these turbulent times. “He said something very profound to me that I’ll never forget. He says ‘Congratulations. Your school is the No. 1 school where a terrorist will be successful. Every door is open.’
“I said, ‘What terrorist would come to Yardley?’ He said, ‘You have to understand, a terrorist only goes where he or she will succeed and your place is a slam dunk. It’s a paradise for a terrorist.’

“I learned a great lesson which stays with me to this day.”

Tragically, while other Jewish institutions have also discovered similar truths, Abrams has done its part — working in partnership with the Yardley Borough Police Department — to keep students safe. Now, thanks to grants from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency totaling $100,000, they’ll be able to apply even more safety measures.
Those grants are part of a larger effort from the Shapiro-Davis Administration, which has resulted in the state awarding nearly $275 million to over 1,000 public and nonpublic institutions.

“That priority is utmost to the Shapiro-Davis Administration,” said PCCD Executive Director Mike Pennington. “Kids can’t learn if they don’t feel safe. That’s why they’ve pushed for continuous investment within our state. Last year with that funding we were able to provide training to over 800 school administrators and staff and trained 170,000 school employees in various topics. These investments are certainly paying dividends.”

That Jewish Gov. Josh Shapiro would champion the cause doesn’t surprise Budow. “Of course it helps,” said Budow, now in his 44th year at Abrams. “He went to a day school and his wife went to our school. So of course Shapiro understands what all of us are going through, vividly.”

Exactly what Abrams’ students are going through has changed dramatically since Oct. 7. While the three eighth-grade students who spoke during the panel discussion all said they felt safe in school and weren’t upset seeing armed guards in the hallways, they conceded it’s different on the outside.

“I’ve been playing soccer for four years and before Oct. 7 nothing ever happened,” said one. “I thought the kids were friendly. But since then kids have come up to me and said ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Hamas.’ There was no security and it was scary.”

Sometimes incidents take place literally close to home. “After Oct. 7 we put an Israeli flag in front of our house,” said another student. “The people across the street from us, they were driving past once, and started saying, ‘Bleep the Jews’ and ‘Free Palestine.’ My mom had to call the police.”

She’s not alone. “I had a sign in front of my house after Oct. 7 that said ‘Bring Them Home,’” said a classmate. “It was up there for a month. Then one day we go outside and it’s gone. Once they find out you’re Jewish they look at you differently.”

No, the money earmarked for enhanced security at Abrams won’t change any of that. But it’s reassuring to both parents and teachers alike to know the school is doing whatever it can to answer their concerns.

“It brings to light how important it is to have security here to make the children feel safe, and getting additional training and funding for what to do in an emergency situation,” said Arielle Frankston-Morris, executive director of Teach PA. “It’s gratifying to see this school and the police working together.”

That’s been the case ever since Yardley Police Commissioner Joseph D. Kelly III arrived a decade ago. “I was policing in New Jersey on 9/11 and saw the aftermath of what happened,” revealed Kelly. “The rabbi came to me shortly after my arrival and our partnership continues to this day. This is the first place we look at when things are going on in the world.”

Especially since the day of that fateful Hamas attack. “Oct. 7 happened and on Oct. 9 we had 20 parents at the door saying ‘Rabbi, you better get security,’” recalled Budow. “I didn’t have any choice. I had people keeping their kids home because they felt threatened, so we committed to something not in our budget. But all Jewish agencies did it, we were so threatened.”

While the threats remain, he and everyone else at Abrams can take comfort knowing their cries for help are being answered. “I am very grateful for this partnership,” he declared. “I never could’ve envisioned we’d be ensuring the safety of our children like this. I think it takes a lot of teamwork between a lot of different groups: the police, the people, Mike [Pennington], the school parents. This meeting today took place because of bad things, but the result has been very good.”

Knowing that, somewhere that Israeli security agent who once shook him out of his comfort zone must be smiling.

Jon Marks is a Philadelphia-area freelance writer.