Jewish Community Security Manager Shane Dennis
On November 13th and 14th the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor hosted “What You Do Matters,” a training for Washtenaw County law enforcement and community members. A national program, it describes itself as: “a powerful curriculum designed for today’s law enforcement professionals. Using historical images and stories from the Holocaust, trained facilitators engage participants in a dialogue about the role of law enforcement in today’s communities and the importance of core values in ensuring the integrity and vibrancy of democracy.”
The program was developed after a visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. in 2006, by law enforcement leaders of Yavapai County, Arizona. Those leaders recognized that the Holocaust is much more than a chapter from a history book—it provides important insight into the consequences when a government shifts the mission of the police from protecting individuals to supporting the abuse of basic human rights. “What You Do Matters” examines policing within the legal and political framework of Nazi Germany — a journey that eventually turned those who should protect life and liberty into those who intimidated, humiliated, deported, and eventually murdered millions of innocent people.
The Ann Arbor area’s Jewish Community Security Manager Shane Dennis attended a “What You Do Matters” training at the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo shortly after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023.
“I felt this training was very compelling and relevant,” said Dennis. “I wanted to bring it to law enforcement in Washtenaw County.” Thanks to the Federation’s LiveSecure Campaign, which raises funds specifically for local security needs, Dennis was able to do so.
Members of the Ann Arbor Police Department and University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security attended November’s training. Based on feedback from officers that attended, it was very well received.
Interested members of the local Jewish community also participated. One of those people was Nancy Margolis, former Federation and JCC Executive Director, and current Director of Embracing Our Differences Michigan, a public art project in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Margolis said the training was “fabulous and truly eye-opening.”
She said she learned how “the Nazis used deceiving photographs to wrongly imply support for their party—what we now call Fake News. The methods that the Nazis used to involve local police officers is a good lesson for all.”
The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor would like to thank Beth Israel Congregation for hosting the training at its building. Based on the success of this training, Security Manager Dennis hopes to bring it back in the future so more officers can benefit from it.
“Everyone wishing to defend democracy ought to take this course,” said Nancy Margolis.
More information about this program can be found at wydminstitute.com.
In addition to “What You Do Matters,” the Federation received a grant from the Tepper Foundation that will allow Shane Dennis to share his security expertise, such as staff trainings and facility threat assessments, with the Federation’s inter-faith partners. The outreach to these partners is being done in collaboration with the Federation’s Community Relations Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin. The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor would like to thank the Tepper Foundation for the financial support to demonstrate the Federation’s value to the broader Ann Arbor area community.
To learn more about local security efforts for the Jewish community or to support the LiveSecure Campaign and make programs like these possible in the future, contact Shane Dennis (shane@jewishannarbor.org) or visit JewishAnnArbor.org/our-community/community-security.