Dallas, TX, February 17, 2010 ... Condemning the rash of church burnings in East Texas as "heinous crimes," the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed sympathy to the victims and is offering its institutional security resources to the greater faith-based community.

Mark L. Briskman, ADL North Texas/Oklahoma Regional Director issued the following statement:  

No matter what the motive may have been for these heinous crimes, whenever a house of worship is damaged, that faith community feels an overwhelming sense of vulnerability.  We want the members of each of these churches to know that they have the heartfelt sympathy and support of the Jewish community. 

 

Since the beginning of the year, ADL has been in close contact with law enforcement about these church burnings, and we are fully confident that the authorities are actively and vigorously investigating these incidents.

 

Because of longstanding threats of hate crimes and terrorism to Jewish institutions, ADL is a leader in the field of religious institutional security.  And we are making these same resources available to greater faith-based community in East Texas. 

The Anti-Defamation League regularly distributes security materials for houses of worship – these materials are available through ADL's web site: www.adl.org/security.  While these manuals include examples of security awareness issues within Jewish institutions, the security information is applicable to all institutions, regardless of religious denomination.