The full name of the painting is “The Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq. It depicts the 13th Company of the Civil Guard headed by Captain Cocq (who is dressed in black and red) and his deputy – Lieutenant Willem Van Rytenburch.

Rembrandt’s painting is different from other paintings of the militia that were common in Amsterdam at the time, in which all members of the militia sat or stood in a line, with their faces clearly visible. In contrast, there is a lot of movement in Rembrandt’s painting, with some of the militia members even hidden from full view, which was a cause of distress for some of them, leading to the painting being hung in In 1642 Rembrandt drew the “Night Watch“, a painting that he was commissioned to draw by a group of noblemen that had volunteered to safeguard the city at night.

The residents of Amsterdam that are portrayed in the painting, including a girl in a yellow dress, are shown hailing the militia guards as they are about to embark on a mission to protect the city.

The presence of residents of Amsterdam in the painting would seem to indicate that the mission of the militia guards was not to protect the city from a foreign enemy but rather from more domestic criminal activity, which was most likely the main reason for the establishment of the Banninck Cocq militia.

As noted above, the painting is called the Night Watch, and in numerous articles that have been written in English about the painting – the members of the militia are termed “security guards”.

It would seem that the need to protect a city’s residents is not a phenomenon that is unique to the 20th century. Issues related to a “safe city” or “a city without violence” have been the concern of local leadership of large cities and their residents since the onset of the Modern Age. Furthermore, the fact that the members of the militia volunteered to protect the city might indicate that, as in our times – local forces, for whatever reasons, were not able to provide adequate civilian protection services, leading to the formation of groups from within the population to carry out these services instead.

It would appear that Rembrandt’s methodology for planning the painting placed emphasis on displaying operational movement of the force/militia rather than merely settling for a group picture.

It can therefore be concluded that the phenomenon of dealing with issues related to public security is by no means new. For many years police and law enforcement agencies have constituted the governmental mechanism for maintaining civil security. The addition of terror to the list of threats against civilians of a country in general, and of cities in particular, has led to a gap in their ability to provide satisfactory solutions since the police, who are typically trained to deal with crime and public order, lack the ability to provide an adequate security response due to lack of knowhow and lack of an integrated security concept. The need to provide rapid and effective responses has led community leaders to commission private companies that consist of ex-military and policemen no longer in active duty.
However as talented as they may be, and even though they often have experience in similar or interfacing areas – this experience is not appropriate or applicable for dealing with the vast array of challenges that constitute the discipline of public security, which covers numerous civilian, legal and ethical issues that are significantly different than the issues typical of military and conventional police work.

The understanding that security is a unique discipline that is unlike other public order disciplines, and the recognition that the people whose job it is to protect the public from a wide variety of threats that risk the public’s freedom as well as its property require specialized training, has led veteran security officers to try and come up with ways to deal with the problem.

To this end, a team was put together to try and formalize the security profession and establish clear guidelines, so that only professionals with proven security experience in the various security-related areas pertaining to national security in general, and public security in particular, will be able to practice in the field of providing security related services, which include consultancy, planning and accompaniment of security frameworks.

The team consists of veteran security agents and consultants, and its objective is to determine a professional, binding “standard” for all people actively involved in providing security-related services.

Any person who sees himself as being able and/or wanting to contribute is more than welcome to bring his insights before the committee. I am sure that the day is not far off when the area of security will be led by top-notch professionals, just as the military, police and security forces are led by professionals in their respective fields.

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In today’s world’ technology is rapidly developing and becomes a major factor in the security plan. It is my belief that technology is the key for better and advanced security, yet we should all be aware of its cons as well as its prons.

In this paper I’d like to draw your attention to some of the technology limitation:

Serves a purpose – many times we are dazzled by a new technology and often have the urge to integrate it into our system. Before doing so, be sure to first define your operational requirements and only then seek for the best technology and not the other way round. Defining your needs will ensure you choose the best technology and within it, the correct modules. Many times, we purchase modules that are paid for, yet never used. This process will also help managing budget.

A supporting tool – The common ‘output’ of technology is either ‘1’ or ‘0’. It cannot think, feel, evaluate nor make a decision. Although on one these are considered as advantages, no external influence, on the other hand, technology could never replace manpower, only reduce it. Technology has to be managed and configured by a professional who can analyze the data and ultimately make a decision.

Only good when working – How often did you look for a CCTV footage to investigate a problem only to discover that the system did not record or that the specific camera was not working? To avoid these instances, it is advised to initiate a scheduled, predefined, logged system checks. The frequency of these system tests should be according to its importance in the security process.

The urge to integrate technology into the overall security system is understandable and recommended however it is important to ensure that you get what you need, and that you define the ‘need’ before you ‘get’. Once you have it, ensure it is operating. Also, and more importantly, bear in mind that eventually behind any technology should be a person to ultimately make the decision, therefore, handpick your staff and train them well.

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The question weather to  integrate the COVID-19’s new handling requirements into the current security rolls (without getting into the matter of authority) is a valid question since it is clear that when fulfilling the tasks involved in COVID-19, the security team does not focus on the security missions that are mainly detecting and handling irregularities. However, although some will disagree, it is our understanding, that this alone cannot justify shirking responsibility.

Let us not forget that risk management is one of the main security responsibilities and to do so, we put three main components on the balance sheet: budget, operation, and the threat. Looking at the COVID-19 threat and its implications, it is clear that the level of risk is very high and the impact on operations is critical. Since most organizations have suffered a significant economic slowdown, the budget issue is getting more weight and hence we should be wondering if any additional expenses should be imposed on the organization by adding manpower to carry out the COVID-19 missions or, wisely use the existing resources in an optimal way.

Security should be proud when assimilating its own operation into the organization’s day-to-day business plan and enable it. When analyzing the aforementioned issues, a mature and responsible approach of “how can we accomplish it” should be adopted.

To accomplish the task, first and foremost is to ensure the health of the security team. Beyond the important aspect of personal health, and while understanding that security tasks cannot be done remotely, constitutes a full defensive gear to the security staff, in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines (this is in addition to ensuring the separation among different shift employees).

In addition, to allow security staff to concentrate on their security tasks and reduce direct interaction with the crowed, technologies which enable measuring fever automatically and alert upon exceptions should be used, no different from any other security system. The health statements should be filled through any available application prior to entering the organization.

In summary, it is often said that in difficult times require difficult and complex decisions and that the burden should be carried by all, to include the security team. Balancing the circumstances and its implications, we do think that the security team needs to ‘lift the glove’ while maintaining its health, reducing direct interaction and integrating technologies all which will allow the security team to focus on their tasks rather than taking temperature.

Written by: Yoel Lipson

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Incidents of Anti-Semitic persecution have occurred throughout history, time after time. Over the years, accusations blaming the Jews for all the predicaments or problems have been made repeatedly, particularly in Europe. In recent years, Anti-Semitism has been on the rise all over the world, as can be seen in the written media, in articles, in demonstrations and in terror attacks targeted against Jews in France, Belgium, the USA and others.

We would like to make particular mention of 3 health related events in which the Jews have been accused of causing a plague or epidemic.  The most troubling fact is that although over 700 years have passed since such allegations were made during the Black Plague – the essence of the accusations remains the same.

The Well Poisoning Plot (12^th Century) and the Black Plague (14^th Century):

The well poisoning plot emerged in the 12^th century in Germany, and surfaced every so often. After the outbreak of the plague, and particularly once the vast scope of the plague became known – the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells (source of water), thereby causing an epidemic. This accusation was strengthened by testimonies given by Jews who, under severe torture, “admitted” to having poisoned the wells due to their hatred of Christians.  Some of these Jews went on to say that the poisoning of wells was part of a broader plot that was initiated by a Jewish organization in Toledo to impose Jewish rule all over the world.  Some claimed that they were being punished by God for harboring Jews hated by God.

According to myth, less Jews died (compared to Christians), which was attributed to the fact that they had better hygiene habits (washing hands, bathing for purification), making them the immediate suspect. During the pogroms/massacres that were carried out in response to the accusations, one of the claims made by the Jews in their attempt to defend themselves was that the mortality rate among Jews was also high.

As for the “Black Plague” – many view the Anti-Semitism that prevailed during the outbreak of the “Black Plague” as an early version of the new, more racist form of Anti-Semitism, since it did not emphasize the  element of converting Jews to Christianity, and in many cases (though not all of them) – baptizing did not help the Jews. The Jews’ wealth and the fact that their occupation was related to interest-bearing loans evoked hatred against them.

Jews were persecuted primarily in France, Switzerland and Germany. After Jews were forced (under torture) to admit to poisoning the wells – the masses believed these accusations to be the truth. The entire Jewish community of Basel, which numbered a few hundred Jews, was burned to death inside a building constructed of wood that was built especially for this purpose. In Strasbourg, many Jews were burned in their cemetery, and it was decided to expel them for one hundred years. In all cities along the Rhein River – Jews were burned to death, and at times – as in the case of the Jewish community of Frankfurt – the Jews pre-empted the massacre by setting themselves on fire so as not to fall to the hands of the Christians. In Mainz, the Jews organized to defend themselves, gathered weapons and succeeded in killing 200 members of the ignited crowd that had set out to kill them. However at the end of the day, the Christian residents of Mainz succeeded in defeating the Jews, and killed them in the masses. Those who survived set themselves on fire in their homes. It is estimated that on the 24^th of August, 1349, approximately 6,000 Jews died in Mainz. The entire Jewish community of Erfurt, numbering approximately 3,000 Jews, was exterminated.

As with many other massacres that took place in the Middle Ages – the plot regarding the “Black Plague” was ignited and spread by the masses. In areas that were under the influence of the Pope, such as Italy, the lives of the Jews were saved/ spared. In an epistle issued by the Pope, he emphasized that the “Black Death” was nothing other than a pre-destination, and that murdering Jews stemmed mainly from the desire of people with debt to wipe out their debt.

“Jews must continue to live since according to the Prophet Isaiah – they must remain alive.”

At the same time, King Karl the Fourth of Germany spared the lives of Jews, most probably due to the fact that is served his economic interests since they paid him tremendous amounts of money to be spared.

City Councils in Germany made significant efforts to save the lives of Jews, however at times, when Jewish neighborhoods were locked down – the purpose was not only to protect the inhabitants but also to prevent them from fleeing, since their assets posed as a significant commercial negotiating factor.

As a  result of the persecutions and expulsions of Jews – by the end of the 14^th century many Jewish communities had been totally destroyed, and Western Europe had almost no Jews left in its midst. 

The Expression of Anti-Semitism in the USA (21^st century):

In a conference that was held recently, Jonathan Sarna (a Professor of Jewish-American history at Brandeis University) said that the most recent conspiracy theories regarding public health reflect a broader historical trend.

“It must be obvious to you that the Jews are to blame. You are of Jewish origin, so you are responsible for spreading the virus to many other people…”. This quote was made regarding the lawyer that probably exposed hundreds of worshipers to the Corona virus while they were at the synagogue.

When early reports were published on the Corona virus, certain individuals/groups in the USA who went on social media, claiming that the virus was a Jewish plot. They posted posters in which the Jews were said to have spread the virus in order to manipulate the stock market to their benefit, and that the Corona virus was in fact a “collaboration between the Zionists and the Deep-State” in order to hurt President Trump during his re-election campaign. It was also posted that a few years ago – Jewish companies registered a patent on a vaccination against the virus in order to generate future gain. In recent weeks, the phenomenon of Anti-Semitic posts and memes, termed “The Happy Merchant”, have emerged, depicting a drawing of a Jewish man with heavily stereotyped facial features who is greedily rubbing his hands together, demonstrating his intent to profit from the Corona crisis.

Extremists expressed their hope that the Jews would fall as victims of the virus. Posters hailed the outbreak of the virus in Israel, and someone on social media suggested that people who had become infected with the virus go to supermarkets in order to “cough on kosher products”.

Professor Friedfeld has expressed his deep concern at seeing the Anti-Semitic sentiment that has surfaced on mainstream platforms such as twitter and Instagram.

It would appear that in light of the number of people in the USA who are ill with the virus or who have died from the virus – the Anti-Semitic wave in the USA will intensify. It is enough for even a small group of American citizens to believe that the false accusations described above are true for someone to take the initiative and harm Jews, Jewish communities and synagogues.

Recommendations for dealing with Anti-Semitic phenomena:

1. Do not get drawn into Anti-Semitic debates or confrontations.
2. Regular meetings should be set with law-enforcement officials/organizations in residential areas/neighborhoods in order to create a reliable, ongoing relationship with them. This will enable to recruit them to carry out effective police activity that will act as a deterrent in Jewish areas and neighborhoods.
3.  To have members of the Jewish community go around carrying guns is not effective. Lack of operational experience of people carrying weapons can lead to situations in which someone could get hurt as the result of intentional or unintentional fire, which will only lead to further escalation.
4. It is recommended to train people from the community to deal with irregular occurrences in the communities in general, and at Jewish sites in particular.
5. At the request of education officials in Colorado with regards to security at schools, professionals in the area of security were hired in order to reduce the number of shooting incidents at schools. The resulting change in concept was well-received by school management, parents and students.
6. It is recommended to conduct periodic meetings between senior representatives of the Jewish communities, school management and synagogue gabbais/officials in order to provide them with updates on the situation as well as required activities.
7. Anti-Semitic activity is not a pre-destination. Proper preparation along with adopting preventive measures and creating community awareness can potentially thwart Anti-Semitic events in the public space.

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