Phoenix, Arizona – The new Arizona Jewish Security Initiative (AZJSI) was founded to provide an integrated, comprehensive approach to information sharing and best practices in providing Synagogues with cutting edge security. The information and training are invaluable and benefit the whole of the community. It is exclusively manned by volunteers and is practiced as its motto states, “for the people, by the people.”
The founder of AZJSI (www.AZJSI.org) is an unlikely one, as he and his team members are not former sworn law enforcement officers but are volunteers who are highly trained for their task at hand. Founder Ian Turner felt it was time to take further action and bring the community together to create an educational and training platform to take preventative actions before unexpected tragedy could occur. Without the proper training, what would the general public do in the event of an emergency? The new initiative includes helping citizens understand the threats they could potentially face. To help articulate this sensitive subject in an effective manner, Turner asked Bruce Whitney of ICSAVE (www.ICSAVE.org) to run their ILIVED Program (Active Shooter), as well as their Stop the Bleed training program to help civilians be able to protect themselves. It is imperative to “First Start with Why…” The ILIVED Program workshop clearly demonstrates that it is better to have proactive security teams at synagogues, thereby avoiding active shooter events.
Turner partnered with The Rebibo Center for Jewish Life, who hosted the full-day intensive workshop on their campus in central Phoenix on March 20th, 2022. The training was broken down into two sections. The first 2-hour session was a “Stop the Bleed” program led by SWAT Paramedics. “The “Bleeding Control” workshop is a comprehensive training program that teaches participants basic life-saving medical interventions. The rest of the day (a 6-hour session) was spent learning the building blocks of how an Active Shooter Event happens, and what unarmed civilians can do to stop it.
Irwin Sheinbein, the President of the campus shared, “Today’s safety training was outstanding. ICSave does an incredible job. They took on very important safety issues and made me feel very comfortable. Their knowledge and expertise are great. I want to use them for teacher training. Ian, thank you again for bringing them in.” (A video of training can be found here). Also in attendance at the training were members of the Phoenix Police Department Community Action Team of the 600 precinct and a local Federal Bureau Investigation Agent.
“With all the tragedies that have occurred at Jewish synagogues over the last several years, I felt the Jewish community needed to do something about it,” said Turner.
The shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in particular had a profound impact on Turner as well as on the members of his synagogue. This was an antisemitic mass shooting that took place in October of 2018 at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The perpetrator killed eleven people and wounded six. It was the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States. Only several months later, a man fatally shot one woman and injured three other persons, including the synagogue’s Rabbi at the Chabad of Poway in California. In response to these attacks, The Rebibo Center formed a security team with the help of The Community Security Service. As a team, they have been evolving ever since. The point of the AZJSI is to share the knowledge acquired over the last 3 plus years of securing their facility with other Jewish Institutions.
"I have been involved in one way or another with operational security in the past with volunteering in police roles as well as service in the Israeli Defense Forces, but after the Pittsburg tragedy, I knew I had to do something about it. I wanted to take a more active involvement in helping in these situations,” as Turner continued to express.
Turner’s mission to spread awareness is only the beginning. The Initiative founder is also looking to raise money to bring members of his organization to advanced ongoing training that far exceeds law enforcement standards and secure Jewish Day Schools with highly trained armed guards. Everyone involved in these training efforts are volunteers. They are also putting their own safety on the line for the greater good of learning how to protect others, as well as be prepared to manage a crisis situation that may occur. The best violent situation is the one that is avoided through showing a professional demeanor and becoming a very difficult target.
Turner is in the process of integrating Magen Am Security (www.MagenAmUSA.com) into his operations and getting them fully licensed to operate in the state of Arizona. Magen Am, led by its visionary leader Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, is a non-profit organization that is a licensed armed security agency in California. It is dedicated to the creation of essential, highly trained and licensed armed security teams within the Jewish community. The benefit of affiliating with Magen Am is trifold. It will add not only more critical incident training, but also insurance coverage for volunteers, and protection to the institutions where they volunteer. Their sole purpose is to protect the lives of other Jews using volunteerism, as it is the most cost-effective way to have proactive security. This is especially germane after the events of Colleyville, Texas where several Jews were taken hostage recently. The Arizona Jewish Security Initiative is not only about bringing more awareness of safety and security to the community but helping build and grow a training program that will help save lives while simultaneously building community leaders. Ian Turner is a seasoned commercial real estate broker in the valley with Commercial Industrial Arizona Advisors and feels there is no greater reward than giving back to the community he serves.
If you are interested in learning more or would like to get involved, please contact Ian Turner at info@AZJSI.org.
PHOTO: Ian Turner