In 2021, a man called the St. Louis office of the FBI and told the person on the other end of the line that he planned to blow up the Central Reform Congregation, claiming a hatred of Jewish people. He was arrested on the same street as the synagogue, saying he planned to attack during service.
Nearly five years later, according to Rabbi Daniel Bogard, Central Reform spends around $150,000 every year on security measures. That cost, he said, keeps the congregation from dedicating resources to community service.
“If we're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on security, those are dollars that aren't going into our core mission,” he said. “Those are dollars that aren't going to educating our youth, and instead are going just to security measures to keep us from being murdered while we’re at prayer.”
A bill introduced in the Missouri House of Representatives in December aims to share the cost burden of implementing safety procedures by making grant funding available to houses of worship and LGBTQ community centers.
In addition to funding measures like security cameras and reinforced doors, the bill would require hate crime training for Missouri law enforcement, create new reporting tools, expand community education resources and establish a fund to support victims of hate crimes.
Ray Reed, a Democrat from St. Louis, proposed the bill. He said the legislation, which he drafted in response to a rise in antisemitism, attempts to prevent organizations from choosing between their safety and their service to others.
“A lot of these institutions — like synagogues, mosques, churches, LGBTQ community centers — don't have massive security budgets,” he said. “They're still gathering regardless, still serving meals, still teaching kids, still taking care of seniors.”
According to the Department of Justice, 23.5% of hate crimes in 2024 were motivated by religious bias, and another 17.2% were motivated by sexual orientation. In 2023, Missouri saw 65 hate crimes motivated by either religion or sexual orientation.
Reed said he hoped to take a unique approach with his proposed bill, focusing on a proactive approach to hate crimes rather than a response to their aftermath.
“It's about prevention,” he said, “So we don't have to stand at another vigil saying what we should have done.”
While several bills specifically targeting antisemitism have been proposed in recent months, Bogard said the topic has been “weaponized” by some in power to stifle academic freedom. He said he’s glad Reed’s bill is expansive, open to all faiths and LGBTQ organizations, rather than specifically focused on Judaism.
“Antisemitism is a huge issue, but in the end, Jewish security is going to be indelibly tied to the security of other vulnerable minorities and we are never going to be safe in the arms of authoritarians," Bogard said.
The next step for the bill is consideration by a House committee, where Reed said he’ll seek more feedback from religious and community leaders about their safety needs. Should the bill reach the House floor, he said he’s optimistic that lawmakers across the aisle will be able to agree on it.
“My hope is that we can come together on this,” he said, “because nobody wants to see another family, another congregation or another community go through unthinkable, horrible acts of hate.”
