Shomrim (, 'watchers', 'guards') or Shmira ( he, שְׁמִירָה, 'protection') are organizations of proactive volunteer
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
civilian patrols which have been set up in
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
communities in neighborhoods across the United States, Canada
and the United Kingdom (among other countries) to combat
burglary
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
,
vandalism
Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term f ...
,
mugging,
assault
An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...
,
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
, nuisance crimes and
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
attacks, and to help and support
victims
Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to:
People
* Crime victim
* Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis
Films and television
* ''The Victim'' (1916 film), an American silent film by t ...
of crime. They also help locate
missing people
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown.
A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...
.
Shomrim volunteers are unarmed and do not have the authority to make arrests, other than
citizen's arrest
A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a private citizen – that is, a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval England and the English common law, in which ...
. Some Shomrim members in the United States have been convicted of assaults and misdemeanors against people from outside their community.
[Feuer, Alan.]
Brooklyn’s Private Jewish Patrols Wield Power. Some Call Them Bullies.
''The New York Times'', 17 June 2016.
In
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
many residents call Shomrim prior to the police due to the former's shorter response time. However, one of the volunteer patrols in New York has been criticised by the
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
for not always notifying police when a call comes in.
In
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, however, the
Hackney Police Borough Commander
Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the United Kingdom, British model.
Rank insignia of chief superintendent
File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police
File:RCMP Chief Su ...
Matthew Horne complimented Shomrim on this point, saying that "they will generally know when is the time to call us. They don't tend to waste our time and they don't let people go".
Additionally, Brooklyn Shomrim organisers have been accused of withholding information on suspected
child molesters
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
and other Jewish criminals, in keeping with an interpretation of the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
prohibition against ''
mesirah
Mesirah (or mesira, he, to turn over, italic=yes) is the action in which one Jew reports the conduct of another Jew to a non-rabbinic authority in a manner and under the circumstances forbidden by rabbinic law.
This may not necessarily apply ...
'' (informing on a fellow Jew to the non-Jewish authorities).
History
The forerunner of the Shomrim was the
Maccabees
The Maccabees (), also spelled Machabees ( he, מַכַּבִּים, or , ; la, Machabaei or ; grc, Μακκαβαῖοι, ), were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea, which at the time was part of the Seleucid Empire. ...
, a Jewish patrol organization founded by Samuel Schrage in 1964 in the
Crown Heights neighborhood of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. While initially successful, it was disbanded at the end of the decade due to political pressure amid allegations of lack of oversight and tense relations with the
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
community.
Shomrim was first established in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of
Borough Park, Crown Heights,
Flatbush, and
Williamsburg in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Similar patrols were later established in
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
neighborhoods in
Monsey, New York
Monsey (, yi, מאנסי, translit=Monsi) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Airmont, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of Spring Valley. The ...
,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 20 ...
,
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
United Kingdom.
In around 1998, a split in the organization occurred in Crown Heights when the rival group Shomrim broke off from the original group Shmira. This was the first time two competing groups were patrolling the same neighborhood.
Volunteers
Shomrim volunteers, who are unpaid, are mostly members of the Haredi Jewish communities that they serve; however, around 70% of the victims they help are not from the Orthodox Jewish community, usually just local residents from any race or religion.
Despite previous reports,
London Shomrim does not require that its members must be Jewish, male, employed or married, according to Stamford Hill Shomrim volunteer Michael Scher. In Brooklyn, Shomrim members, according to their coordinator, are
fingerprinted and checked for a criminal record before being allowed to join the patrol.
In
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Shomrim volunteers undergo training according to
Security Industry Authority
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the statutory organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK. Established as a non-departmental public body in 2003, the SIA reports to the Home Secretary under the ter ...
standards and are
CRB checked prior to joining as a volunteer.
Shomrim volunteers – who range from a few dozen to over 100, depending on the group – work on foot or in cars. Generally, members work two to a vehicle that is equipped with a radio and a siren.
However, the UK divisions of Shomrim do not have audible or visual warning equipment (
blues-and-twos) fitted in their vehicles. Some Brooklyn patrols have marked cars which resemble
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
(NYPD) vehicles, but most use their own, unmarked cars.
The patrols may also carry walkie-talkies. They wear identifying jackets and
yarmulke
A , , or , plural ), also called ''yarmulke'' (, ; yi, יאַרמלקע, link=no, , german: Jarmulke, pl, Jarmułka or ''koppel'' ( yi, קאפל ) is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the c ...
s on the job.
The volunteers, says a coordinator, do not carry guns, batons, pepper spray, or handcuffs,
and do not have the authority to make arrests.
However, they are trained in how to safely track and detain suspects until police arrive,
otherwise known as
citizen's arrest
A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a private citizen – that is, a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval England and the English common law, in which ...
. They have been known to quickly mobilize area residents to block off streets in order to stop suspects.
Operations
Each Shomrim group maintains its own dispatcher and 24-hour hotline,
whose number is known throughout the Orthodox Jewish community.
Shomrim responds to a wide variety of crimes and cases, including reports of purse snatching, vandalism, car and bicycle thefts, and missing people. Volunteers patrol the city streets in the overnight hours as a deterrent presence.
When they are not on duty, they remain on call,
["This is an Emergency!: An interview with Chaim Deutsch of Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol", ''Binah Bunch'', 4 February 2008, pp. 14–15.] and are often summoned to help other Shomrim groups or other Jewish community rescue organizations such as
Hatzalah
Hatzalah (; he, הַצָּלָה, lit=rescue, relief) is one of several Jewish volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organizations serving mostly areas with Jewish communities around the world, giving free medical service no matter their ...
and
Chaverim during large-scale search and rescue operations.
Shomrim has been effective in apprehending suspects of burglaries
robberies,
assault,
car thefts, vandalism, domestic violence, nuisance crimes, and antisemitic attacks. In an incident in 2010, four Brooklyn South Shomrim volunteers gave chase to a suspected child predator who drew a gun and shot each of them, after they had tackled him to the ground. The shooter was later acquitted of all charges except possessing a gun. Following that incident, the Brooklyn South Shomrim were issued
bullet-proof vests
A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and Fragmentation (weaponry), fragment ...
by the
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate.
Partisan com ...
.
Shomrim volunteers have occasionally been criticized for using excessive force with suspects, particularly non-Jews. In 1996 a Crown Heights Shomrim volunteer was convicted of assault charges after repeatedly hitting a suspect on the head with a walkie-talkie after the man had been subdued.
In 2010 a Baltimore Shomrim volunteer, an ex-Israeli Special Forces soldier, was arrested for striking a black 15 year old. The boy had been walking along a road in the early afternoon when a van with males started to drive next to him. The boy, who the judge said was frightened, took a nail-studded board from a construction site. The ex-soldier hit him with a walky-talky and, with help from two others, held the boy on the ground for 8 to 10 minutes. He was suspended pending internal investigation, with Shomrim confident that he would be vindicated in court,
and was sentenced to three years of probation in 2012 and ordered to research and write essays on cultural diversity. In 2011, two Monsey Shomrim volunteers were charged with misdemeanors in a fracas that erupted after a girl hit a passing van with a water balloon.
Many Shomrim organisations call together an annual Community Engagement Event, with advice on crime prevention and
bike registration.
[ ]
Police relations and controversy
Shomrim maintains a delicate working relationship with local police departments and Shomrim regularly shares its information on crime with officers.
The relationship is a sensitive one, however. Many residents of
Hasidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Baltimore, and Stamford Hill tend to call Shomrim in an emergency rather than the police. Shomrim cites its faster response time, knowledge of the territory, and ability to speak
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
, the language of the Hasidic community, for the residents' preference.
While the expectation is for Shomrim to notify police, this is done in some cases
but not in others. Former
New York City Police Commissioner
The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is responsib ...
Raymond Kelly
Raymond Walter Kelly (born September 4, 1941) is the longest serving Commissioner in the history of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the first man to hold the post for two non-consecutive tenures. According to its website, Kelly ...
has publicly stated that Shomrim does not immediately notify police when a call comes in.
This was highlighted in the 2011 missing-child case of
Leiby Kletzky (see below): the first call by Kletzky's mother reporting her missing child was received by Brooklyn South Shomrim more than two hours before Kletzky's father called the police.
The Brooklyn South Shomrim explains that it does not always notify police immediately in cases of missing children, since it receives at least 10 such calls a day and is experienced in quickly locating children by searching candy stores, buses, and relatives' homes.
In
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, however, the
Hackney Police Borough Commander
Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the United Kingdom, British model.
Rank insignia of chief superintendent
File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police
File:RCMP Chief Su ...
Matthew Horne complimented Shomrim on this point, saying that "they will generally know when is the time to call us. They don't tend to waste our time and they don't let people go".
In Brooklyn, the civilian patrol has been accused of withholding information about
suspected local child molesters.
One Brooklyn South Shomrim member acknowledged to the press that they maintain a file of suspected local child molesters, and some believe that this file includes the suspects' photos and the make, model and license-plate number of their cars. But Shomrim does not share this information with police due to the Torah prohibition against ''
mesirah
Mesirah (or mesira, he, to turn over, italic=yes) is the action in which one Jew reports the conduct of another Jew to a non-rabbinic authority in a manner and under the circumstances forbidden by rabbinic law.
This may not necessarily apply ...
'' (informing on a fellow Jew to the non-Jewish authorities).
However, another high-ranking member claims that the other member was misquoted, and that the list that Brooklyn South Shomrim maintains is culled from the New York
Sex Offender Registry
A sex offender registry is a system in various countries designed to allow government authorities to keep track of the activities of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences. In some jurisdictions, registration i ...
.
Members of the Williamsburg Shomrim always consult a rabbi before involving police in a crime committed by one Jew against another.
Shomrim have on many occasions received awards and commendations from the police for their work.
The founding of Shomrim organizations in
North West London
The NW (North Western) postcode area, also known as the London NW postcode area, is a group of 13 postcode districts covering around 13,895 live postcodes within part of northwest London, England. It is the successor of the NW sector, originally ...
and
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...
in 2008 initially met with disapproval by the London Metropolitan Police, which questioned the existence of a community patrol working in tandem with trained police officers
and claimed they were endangering themselves. In 2009, a new borough commander in
Hackney Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the United Kingdom, British model.
Rank insignia of chief superintendent
File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police
File:RCMP Chief Su ...
Steve Bending consulted with the NYPD to draw up a list of expectations for the volunteer patrol.
The Stamford Hill Shomrim and the North West London Shomrim agreed to have its members undergo background checks and sign a code of conduct, and pledged to implement disciplinary measures for members who "act inappropriately". Today the Hackney borough commander commends Shomrim in its role as "evidence-gathers" and support for police activities.
and they have received public praise from the higher ranks.
including most recently Stamford Hill Shomrim received a formal commendation award from the local Metropolitan Police Borough Commander
Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...
Shomrim members receive ongoing training from the Police at
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish.
The ...
Police Station and are kept updated about new, targeted police operations in the area.
Funding
Shomrim organizations receive voluntary donations mostly from members of the Orthodox Jewish Community they serve.
New York Shomrim groups have been successful at securing taxpayer funding in member earmarks for their operations, allowing them to buy sophisticated equipment. Commentators cite the groups' effectiveness and also their political clout as a voting bloc that follows rabbis' direction.
List of Shomrim organizations
Shomrim organizations in each neighbourhood or city operates independently. There are some exceptions, where there is a tight affiliation with neighbouring Shomrim organizations, a loose affiliation of neighbouring Shomrim organizations, or some other basic level of cooperation.
New York City
Brooklyn South Shomrim
The Shomrim-run Brooklyn South Safety Patrol (BSSP), which covers the neighborhoods of
Boro Park
Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, ...
,
Bensonhurst
Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22nd ...
, and
Kensington
Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
,
has its origins in the 1980s when it was founded by Jacob Daskal.
In the beginning the group was known as the "Bakery Boys" as its members were bakers who observed late-night car break-ins in progress.
Its command center is located in a tire shop. The dispatchers, owners of the tire shop, receive about 100 calls a day
and direct a force of 150 members.
Brooklyn South Shomrim came to international attention as the coordinator of a massive volunteer search for
Leiby Kletzky, an 8-year-old Boro Park boy who went missing while walking home from day camp in July 2011; he was later found murdered by a Kensington resident. The Brooklyn South command center alerted other Shomrim patrols in Flatbush, Williamsburg, and Crown Heights, as well as Haredi communities in Monsey,
Monroe,
Lawrence
Lawrence may refer to:
Education Colleges and universities
* Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States
* Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States
Preparator ...
,
Passaic
Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...
, and
Lakewood, to mobilize up to 5,000 Orthodox Jewish volunteers for a block-by-block search for the missing boy. After police identified the suspect's car from
surveillance videos, two Flatbush volunteers searching in nearby Kensington spotted the car;
the suspect was apprehended by police shortly after. Later the Brooklyn South Shomrim maintained order at the huge funeral for the victim
and outside the parents' home during the week-long ''
shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
'' period.
In April 2016, Alex Lichtenstein, a former Brooklyn South Shomrim leader who was Boro Park's liaison to the NYPD, was charged with bribing police officers to obtain 150
gun permits for $6,000 a piece, then selling them to community members for $18,000.
Upon his sentencing on 16 March 2017 to 32 months imprisonment and a $20,000 fine, Judge
Sidney H. Stein said, "Mr. Lichtenstein has led a life of great deeds. He has also committed a great crime. You participated in corrupting the New York City police department".
On 10 May 2018, Daskal was arrested by the NYPD on suspicion of
statutory rape
In common law jurisdictions, statutory rape is nonforcible sexual activity in which one of the individuals is below the age of consent (the age required to legally consent to the behavior). Although it usually refers to adults engaging in sexual ...
of a 16-year-old girl. He was charged the next day with third-degree rape, a criminal sex act, sexual abuse, forcible touching, and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17.
[Baker, Al (11 May 2018]
"Brooklyn Safety Patrol Leader Is Charged in Sex Abuse of Teen"
''New York Times'' The revelation was followed by Daskal's immediate resignation from his post as campaign treasurer for
Simcha Eichenstein
Simcha Eichenstein is an American politician from New York. He is a member of the New York State Assembly.
Early life
Simcha Eichenstein was born in August 1983 to a rabbi from a prominent Bobover rabbinical family in Borough Park, Brooklyn, w ...
, a
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
candidate from the neighborhood. Authorities believe the abuse took place at Daskal's home in Boro Park between August and November 2017.
Crown Heights Shomrim
Crown Heights Shomrim was founded in the 1970s. It expanded its operations following the 1991
Crown Heights riots
The Crown Heights riot was a race riot that took place from August 19 to August 21, 1991, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York City. Black residents attacked orthodox Jewish residents, damaged their homes, and looted businesses. Th ...
. Members, driving repainted police cars, respond to armed robberies, burglaries, and assaults in progress, as well as automobile accidents and general assistance to residents. While volunteers wear uniforms with a shoulder patch, they are not authorized to make arrests, they will chase suspects and try to detain them by surrounding them and talking to them until police arrive.
Boro Park Shmira (CWSP)
Boro Park Shmira is the name of a rival safety patrol in Borough Park. It was founded in 2010 and has over 100 members.
Flatbush Shomrim
The Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol, originally known as Brooklyn
Midwood
Midwood is a neighborhood in the south-central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded on the north by the Bay Ridge Branch tracks just above Avenue I and by the Brooklyn College campus of the City University of New York, a ...
Shomrim, was founded in 1991 by
Chaim Deutsch
Chaim M. Deutsch is an American politician who served as a New York City Council Member for the 48th district from 2014 to 2021. He is a Democrat. The district includes Brighton Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, ...
with the support of neighborhood rabbinic leaders. At the time, police did not have the manpower to respond immediately to crimes in progress.
The group's 40 volunteers patrol in their own, unmarked cars and use high-powered binoculars to view suspects at a distance. If they see a crime in progress, they summon police, who respond promptly. Often the Shomrim volunteers serve as witnesses for the filing of police reports. Members also carry special equipment for opening locked houses and cars.
In 2009 the Flatbush Shomrim acquired a $250,000 mobile security command center which is similar to NYPD command centers, including a state-of-the-art communications system,
flat-panel television, computer, fax machine, portable
defibrillator
Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''coun ...
, a toilet incinerator that can convert solid waste to ash, conference room, and kitchen.
Williamsburg Shomrim
The Williamsburg Shomrim was founded in 1977 by a local resident, in response to a wave of violent
muggings perpetuated on Jewish residents by non-Jews.
Today, the majority of calls received by Williamsburg Shomrim deal with car theft, missing children, and graffiti. In 2011, most of its 50 members worked six nights a week. As of 2019, it has over 100 members.
In 2013 a Shomrim patrol attacked a student in south Williamsburg. The victim, who remains blind in his left eye, stated that while beating him, the men yelled homophobic slurs. Five suspects were arrested; one was convicted of gang assault and other charges all of which were later overturned on appeal, two pled guilty to lesser offenses and were sentenced to probation and community service in "culturally diverse neighborhoods", and two had the charges dismissed as the witnesses recanted their identification. The patrol had claimed to be responding to reports of car vandalism, but this was deemed "unfounded."
Eastern United States
Baltimore Shomrim
Baltimore Shomrim was founded in 2005 in response to a rash of burglaries in the city's Orthodox Jewish community. In its first five years, the organization received over 4,600 calls for assistance. Members – generally local Orthodox businessmen and shopkeepers – wear matching jackets and carry two-way radios. The organization divides the area under surveillance into quadrants and responds quickly to all calls. Among the calls for help are bicycle thefts, missing children, and suicide attempts.
Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch
The Lakewood Civilian Safety Watch, commonly known as the Lakewood Shomrim, was formed in 2006 by Chaim Rubin and Aaron Kugielsky after an incident in which a local
cheder
A ''cheder'' ( he, חדר, lit. "room"; Yiddish pronunciation ''kheyder'') is a traditional primary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.
History
''Cheders'' were widely found in Europe before the end of the 18th ...
teacher walking home one evening was attacked by an assailant with a steel bat.
[Burstyn, Rochel. "Meet LCSW". '']Binyan
In Hebrew, verbs, which take the form of derived stems, are conjugated to reflect their tense and mood, as well as to agree with their subjects in gender, number, and person. Each verb has an inherent voice, though a verb in one voice typica ...
'', 25 June 2015, pp. 8-9. As of 2015, the group has more than 60 Jewish volunteers, as well as non-Jewish personnel who work on
Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
and
Jewish holiday
Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...
s. The organization patrols the streets of Lakewood Township, New Jersey in marked cars. It fields an average of 400 calls a month. It also conducts public awareness campaigns for summer safety, school bus safety, and driving safety, and
bicycle registration
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist.
Bi ...
drives.
[
]
Miami-Dade Shmira Patrol
Miami-Dade
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
Shmira Patrol was founded in 2003 by Isaac (Yitzy) Rosenberg.
Western United States
Los Angeles Shmira
The Los Angeles Shmira Safety Patrol was founded in 2009 in the Pico/Robertson area of Los Angeles. After a slow start a former member of the Guardian Angels
A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in ...
joined and helped revitalize the patrol. LA Shmira works closely with the Los Angeles Police Department's Olympic Division and coordinates with the South Robertson District Council's Safety Committee. LA Shmira currently has 4 dispatchers and 20 volunteer responders, including three Rabbis.
United Kingdom
Shomrim London, Stamford Hill
The Stamford Hill Shomrim, founded in 2008 by Efrayim Goldstein, has many volunteers and a 24-hour emergency hotline. Shomrim volunteers undergo training according to Security Industry Authority
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the statutory organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK. Established as a non-departmental public body in 2003, the SIA reports to the Home Secretary under the ter ...
standards and are CRB checked prior to joining as a volunteer. Members receive ongoing informal training at Stoke Newington Police Station and are kept updated about new, targeted police operations in the area. In its first five months of operation, the hotline received 2,000 calls reporting burglaries, thefts, muggings, missing people etc. On average, Stamford Hill Shomrim receives approximately 4500 hotline calls a year; however, the members deal with incidents as and when they come across it too. Incoming calls are dispatched to local Shomrim volunteers via two-way radios. While police figures previously showed Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...
to have the lowest crime rate in the borough of Hackney, the presence of Shomrim has revealed that crime was being underreported by the largely Yiddish-speaking Hasidic community.
Stamford Hill Shomrim proactively patrol and operate in North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
& East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
London primarily but not exclusively, typically in the N16 E5 and N15 postcodes, generally referred to as Stamford Hill
Stamford Hill is an area in Inner London, England, about 5.5 miles north-east of Charing Cross. The neighbourhood is a sub-district of Hackney, the major component of the London Borough of Hackney, and is known for its Hasidic community, the l ...
, Upper Clapton
Clapton is a district of East London, England, in the London Borough of Hackney.
Clapton is divided into Upper Clapton, in the north, and Lower Clapton to the south. Clapton railway station lies north-east of Charing Cross.
Geography and origi ...
and South Tottenham
South Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, north London.
Location
South Tottenham occupies parts of the N15 and N17 postal districts. It is bordered in the south by Stamford Hill, the west by St Ann's and West Green, the ...
, which includes these wards
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
(wholly or partly) in Hackney & Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of ...
: Brownswood, Stoke Newington Central, Stamford Hill West, Woodberry Down (formerly Lordship
A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of econ ...
& New River), Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
, Cazenove, Leabridge, Hackney Downs
Hackney Downs is a park and an area of historically common land in the Lower Clapton area of the London Borough of Hackney. The name is sometimes also used to apply to the neighbourhood around the park.
Hackney Downs Park
The Downs open space ...
, Seven Sisters and St. Ann's. On many occasions, especially during searches for High Risk Missing People
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown.
A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...
, Stamford Hill Shomrim members would patrol out of these boundaries.
Stamford Hill Shomrim is currently headed by three Trustees, a Discipline Committee and an Executive Committee elected by its members. Rabbi Kurt Stern MBE and Isaac Kornbluh who are both members of the Hackney Police Independent Advisory Group, act as liaisons between Shomrim and the police. In 2012, Joe Lobenstein MBE, formerly elected Mayor of Hackney on 4 consecutive elections, was appointed as President of Stamford Hill Shomrim. After Joe Lobenstein
Josef "Joe" Lobenstein (April 1927 – 28 June 2015) was a spokesman for the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations and a former Conservative politician in London.
Career
Lobenstein managed an electrical wholesale business, started in a back room ...
died on 28 June 2015, aged 88, Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE was appointed as the new President of Stamford Hill Shomrim. Shomrim is registered with the Charity Commission
, type = Non-ministerial government department
, seal =
, seal_caption =
, logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg
, logo_caption =
, formed =
, preceding1 =
, ...
and with Neighbourhood Watch
Neighbourhood Watch in the United Kingdom is the largest voluntary crime prevention movement covering England and Wales with upwards of 2.3 million household members. The charity brings neighbors together to create strong, friendly and active comm ...
as 'Community Safety Patrol'.
In 2013, after the murder of the soldier Lee Rigby, and an increase in hate crimes against the wider Muslim community, Stamford Hill Shomrim offered to help the local Muslim community and keep a watchful eye on local mosques and Muslim community centres, which was gratefully welcomed by the North London Muslim community as stated by Eusoof Amerat, a Muslim community advocate in Hackney and commended by the Hackney Police Borough Commander. Shomrim also advised the North London Muslim Community Centre on security issues, according to centre chairman Munaf Zeena.
Shomrim's offer to the Muslim community was included in the 2013 annual report on International Religious Freedom and recognised by the US Secretary of State John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...
in his speech when publishing this report, saying "in London, an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood watch team helped Muslim leaders protect their mosque and prevent future attacks". He continued by saying "they will not receive prizes; they may not ever receive recognition. Their courage goes unremarked, but that makes it all the more remarkable . . . Believe me, that's the definition of courage". In November 2014, Ambassador Samantha Power
Samantha Jane Power (born September 21, 1970) is an American journalist, diplomat and government official who is currently serving as the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She previously served as the 28th ...
mentioned Shomrim's offer in her speech at the 10th Anniversary of the OSCE's Berlin Conference on Anti-Semitism,
Stamford Hill Shomrim have on many occasions received public praise from the higher ranks, as on one occasion by Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
Superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
David Grainger after a successful double arrest for burglary on the vulnerable, and have been lauded by Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Stephen Greenhalgh. In June 2014 Stamford Hill Shomrim received a formal commendation award from the outgoing Hackney Police Borough Commander - Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne. and on 12 June 2015 Shomrim volunteers were publicly commended for their help in identifying two suspects who slashed the tyres of many vehicles in Stamford Hill area. On 5 February 2015, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey QPM attended a Shomrim event as guest of honour and spoke highly of the work Shomrim do. This event was also attended by the then Minister for Justice Simon Hughes
Sir Simon Henry Ward Hughes (born 17 May 1951) is a former British politician. He is now the Chancellor of London South Bank University, an External Adviser to The Open University, and UK Strategic Adviser to Talgo. Hughes was Deputy Leader ...
MP.
In August 2014, Stamford Hill Shomrim organised its first annual Community Engagement Event where an estimated six thousand people participated, for advice on crime prevention and bike marking. In July 2015 Shomrim held a similar event where Senior members of Scotland Yard's police force attended including the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Stephen Greenhalgh and Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball
Helen Ball (born April 1961) is a retired senior British police officer. During part of her final year in policing she served as Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. At a national level she has been senior coordinat ...
alongside Hackney borough commander Chief Supt Simon Lawrence. This is now a planned annual event.
As well as helping the community and police with catching offenders and reducing general crime in the area, Shomrim were singled out for their help in bring offenders of anti-Semitic crime to justice, with the Hackney Police Borough Commander quoted as saying that 27% of anti-Semitic perpetrators in Hackney are caught and charged or cautioned and "Shomrim have played a huge part in that by alerting us of crimes and providing evidence to bring offenders to justice".
Shomrim London NW
Shomrim London North West Community Patrol operates in the London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in North London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest ...
. It was founded by Gary Ost in 2008 as a registered charity which operates as "mobile neighborhood watch" and acts as eyes and ears to the local Community and the Metropolitan Police. Volunteer Patrol members patrol the streets of Golders Green
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and ea ...
, Childs Hill
Childs Hill is one of two areas at the south end of the London Borough of Barnet along with Cricklewood which straddles three boroughs. It took its name from Richard le Child, who in 1312 held a customary house and "30 acres" of its area. It is a ...
, Hendon
Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...
, Finchley
Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross.
Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...
and Temple Fortune
Temple Fortune is a place in the London Borough of Barnet to the north of Golders Green. It is principally a shopping district used by residents of the Hampstead Garden Suburb. Between here and Golders Green, at Hoop Lane are two cemeteries – ...
whereby members report crime to the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
. At least 2 vehicles patrol the area every night.
Shomrim London NW operate a 24-hour emergency response team which will dispatch units to a scene of an emergency and will liaise with the other responding emergency services. Volunteers are in radio contact, and dispatched via a central dispatcher.
Shomrim London NW has the capability to deal with various scenarios including the locating of missing persons and protocols are in place for full-scale searches with Stamford Hill Shomrim & North West London Shomrim working in partnership. All volunteers have completed training from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command
Counter Terrorism Command (CTC) or SO15 is a Specialist Operations branch within London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Counter Terrorism Command was established as a result of the merging of the Anti-Terrorist Branch (SO13) and Special Bra ...
(SO15) in assisting to identify potential security threats and suspicious activity.
The Jewish Rabbinate in London have thanked Shomrim London NW for the dedication of its volunteers and for providing a valuable service in enhancing the quality of life within the Jewish neighborhood. Shomrim London NW also acts as a liaison between the North West London community and the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
.
Ost, chief executive of Shomrim North-West London feels that reporting rates have increased in Barnet due to Shomrim's presence there and their work became doubly important during the London riots in July 2011
On 4 July 2015, an anti-Shomrim protest organized by neo-Nazis
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...
was held at Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...
. Jeremy Bedford Turner, one of the leading skinheads of the London Forum
The O Forum Kentish Town is a concert venue in Kentish Town, London, England owned by MAMA & Company, and originally built in 1934.
History
The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the cinema was close ...
, was arrested for incitement to racial hatred following an antisemitic speech he made at the rally in which he called upon the protestors to "free England from Jewish control." He was convicted in May 2018 and given a 6-month custodial sentence.
In popular culture
* In the short-lived television series ''Brooklyn South
''Brooklyn South'' is an American ensemble police drama television series that aired on CBS for one season from September 22, 1997, to April 27, 1998. It was aired during the 1997–98 television season. The series was co-created by Steven Boc ...
'' Theodore Bikel
Theodore Meir Bikel ( ; May 2, 1924 – July 21, 2015) was an Austrian-American actor, folk singer, musician, composer, unionist, and political activist. He appeared in films, including '' The African Queen'' (1951), ''Moulin Rouge'' (1952), ' ...
guest-starred as Solomon Shuyler, a Shomrim volunteer and organizer.
* In the 2013 film ''Fading Gigolo
''Fading Gigolo'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed, written by, and starring John Turturro. The film, co-starring Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Paradis, Liev Schreiber and Eugenia Kuzmina premiered in the Special Pres ...
'', written and directed by John Turturro
John Michael Turturro (; born February 28, 1957) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his contributions to the independent film movement. He has appeared in over sixty feature films and has worked frequently with the Coen brothers, ...
, Liev Schreiber
Isaac Liev Schreiber (; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and narrator. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s after appearing in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywoo ...
portrays a volunteer in the Williamsburg Shomrim.
* In Series 3, Episode 3 of ''No Offence
''No Offence'' is a British television police procedural drama on Channel 4, created by Paul Abbott. It follows a team of detectives from Friday Street police station, a division of the Manchester Metropolitan Police (a fictional version of the ...
'', Daniel Ben Zenou plays the part of a Moss Finestein, a member of the local Shomrim helping with the police investigation into a murder at a Jewish cemetery in Manchester.
* In Season 3, Episode 14 of Blue Bloods, a Shomrim volunteer appears as a background character.
See also
*Maccabees
The Maccabees (), also spelled Machabees ( he, מַכַּבִּים, or , ; la, Machabaei or ; grc, Μακκαβαῖοι, ), were a group of Jewish rebel warriors who took control of Judea, which at the time was part of the Seleucid Empire. ...
, neighborhood patrol organization in Crown Heights from 1964–1971
*Civil Guard (Israel)
The Civil Guard ( he, המשמר האזרחי, Ha-Mishmar Ha-ʿEzraḥi), abbreviated in Hebrew as Mash'az (משא"ז) is a volunteer organization of Israeli citizens which assists in daily police work. It is a subdivision of the Israel Poli ...
*Hatzalah
Hatzalah (; he, הַצָּלָה, lit=rescue, relief) is one of several Jewish volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organizations serving mostly areas with Jewish communities around the world, giving free medical service no matter their ...
*Mishmeret Yesha
Mishmeret Yesha ( he, משמרת יש"ע) is an Israeli organization that trains Israeli settlers in counterterrorism techniques and the use of weapons to guard Israeli outposts and settlements against Palestinian attack. It was founded in 1988 a ...
*Private security
A private security company (PSC) is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors.
Overview
Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stat ...
*Town watch
A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch (see spelling differences), also called a crime watch or neighbourhood crime watch, is an organized group of civilians
Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members ...
References
Further reading
*Matthew Shaer, ''Among Righteous Men: A Tale of Vigilantes and Vindication in Hasidic Crown Heights'', Wiley (25 October 2011), hardcover, 256 pages, ,
"Vigilante Justice and the Jews
Baltimore Conviction Puts Shomrim in Spotlight" article by Matthew Shaer, ''The Jewish Daily Forward'' 13 May 2012, issue of 18 May 2012
{{Organized Jewish Life in the United States
Civil crime prevention
Neighborhood watch organizations
Jewish community organizations
Volunteer organizations in the United States
Orthodox Jews and Judaism in New York City
Orthodox Judaism in New Jersey
Jews and Judaism in Brooklyn
Orthodox Judaism in Baltimore
Jews and Judaism in England