As we approach Passover — a holiday commemorating our exodus from danger to freedom — we are once again reminded that the Jewish people remain a target.  Just this week, Israel’s National Security Council issued a grave warning: Iranian agents and affiliates of ISIS are actively planning to target Jewish and Israeli tourists over the holiday period.  It is a chilling reality, but not a surprising one.

Those of us who work daily with the communities of Judea and Samaria have long understood that for Jews, security is not a seasonal concern; it is a daily necessity.

In Judea and Samaria, our brothers and sisters live under constant threat from hostile neighbors and coordinated terror efforts.  Despite this, they have built thriving towns, schools, synagogues, and businesses.  They’ve done so by embracing a culture of proactive vigilance, community-based security, and unshakable faith.  It is this model, refined over decades, that holds vital lessons for Jewish communities across the Diaspora.

One Israel Fund supports these communities with critical infrastructure: thermal surveillance systems, emergency medical gear and facilities, perimeter lighting systems, security patrol vehicles, and (of equal importance) emergency response training.  Every member of each community is expected to be aware, alert, and ready to respond.  Civilians participate in first-response teams.  Local patrols work in tandem with the IDF.  There is no “someone else will handle it” attitude — because they know what’s at stake.

This culture of shared responsibility doesn’t come from fear.  It comes from strength.  It’s the understanding that Jewish survival has never been guaranteed; it’s been earned, defended, and preserved by those who refused to be passive.

That same mindset is urgently needed in the United States and around the world.

Since October 7, Jewish communities in the Diaspora have experienced an unprecedented escalation of antisemitism and threats.  From campus unrest to synagogue vandalism to assaults on the streets, the false sense of distance from danger has been shattered.  And now, with coordinated Iranian and ISIS terror plots targeting Jews abroad, we must all recognize that the threat is not “over there.”  It’s here.  And everywhere.

We cannot afford to treat this moment like just another holiday.  We cannot afford to believe that “it won’t happen here.”  The Jews of Judea and Samaria never had that luxury, and neither do we.

What we can do — what we must do — is take a page from their playbook.

• We must take communal security seriously — not as an afterthought, but as a pillar of Jewish continuity.

• We must support organizations and institutions that train volunteers, fortify synagogues and schools, and engage in serious threat assessment.

• We must shift from reactive to proactive — equipping ourselves with tools, training, and the resolve to be first responders in our own communities.

• We must work with our local authorities in helping them identify and fortify weak points in our local institutions.

The systems One Israel Fund has helped to install in communities in Judea and Samaria are not theoretical.  They’ve saved lives.  They’re scalable, adaptable and applicable to Jewish communities around the world.

This Passover, as we unite and reflect upon our journey from slavery to freedom, we must recognize that freedom comes with responsibility.  It must be defended.  It must be secured.  It must never be taken for granted.

Let us not wait for tragedy to act.  Let us learn from those who live with this reality every day.  Let us honor their courage by adopting their vigilance — so that wherever Jews gather, from the hills of Samaria to the streets of Brooklyn, we are prepared, protected and proud.

Scott M. Feltman is the executive vice president of One Israel Fund, a North American nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare and safety of Jewish communities in the biblical heartland of Israel.

Image via Pxbarn.