We at the JPC focus primarily on the security of countries and regions; Israel, of course, as well as Iran, Syria, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Threats, however, are not only to national or regional borders, but also to individuals and institutions within those borders. Europe has seen ever-increasing numbers of attacks on houses of worship – as we have in the United States.

There are two questions: First, do Americans take these threats as seriously as we should? Second, what can we do to protect ourselves and our families in our synagogues and churches?

Our guest is Dr. Stephen Bryen, a former Pentagon official and the author of Security Planning for Holy Places, a primer for keeping your community house of worship safe in increasingly difficult times.

Note: We are not going wholly domestic, however. Dr. Bryen has written extensively on the war in Ukraine, which will enter its 5th year next month, and the upheaval in Iran.