JUF leaders this week met separately with two senior law enforcement officials who have recently assumed important posts: Michael J. Anderson , special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office, and, Ernest Brown , executive director of the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, who participated in JUF’s 2009 senior law enforcement mission to Israel .

The security of JUF’s dozens of facilities as well as Jewish schools, synagogues and other agencies is a communal priority, as is the safety of Jewish events held at other locations. Sustaining and strengthening ties with federal, state and local law enforcement leaders and their agencies is one of the ways JUF tries to fulfill that responsibility.

In the past decade, JUF has sponsored dozens of security seminars for community groups and facilitated physical security audits of Jewish sites. Moreover, through its Washington, D.C. and Springfield, Ill. offices and its Chicago-based grants writing department, JUF has helped secure millions of dollars in federal and state grants for capital equipment to make communal facilities safer.

JUF Executive Vice President Jay Tcath praised Anderson and Brown for their accessibility, openness and partnership, and their stated readiness to further expand the many, strong bonds of cooperation between their agencies and the Jewish community.

“At a time of global terrorism when Jews and Jewish sites are a top target, it is reassuring and important that times of transition within law enforcement bring ever closer collaboration,” Tcath said. “We are thankful for what law enforcement does in general and for our community in particular.”