Fraternity conclave focuses on hate crimes, security

A security consultant working for the primarily Jewish college fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) — the target of numerous hate crimes across the country, most recently at UC Davis, where members awoke Jan. 31 to find two swastikas spray painted on their house — was among those who addressed more than 800 of the fraternity’s members during a Feb. 6-8 conclave in Santa Barbara.

Consultant Doron Horowitz has been working with AEPi thanks to Secure Community Network (SCN), which provides resources for the likes of Jewish Federations and Jewish community centers by liaising with federal organizations such as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, according to Paul Goldenberg, SCN national director.

The fraternity’s weekend gathering at UC Santa Barbara, which drew from 31 Western Region chapters, was closed to the media, and officials would not comment on the specifics of what was discussed. 

However, attendee Elan Carr, immediate past president of AEPi International and a criminal gang prosecutor who recently campaigned for former Congressman Henry Waxman’s seat, confirmed that a security consultant spoke with students during three presentations, including one delivered exclusively to UC Davis AEPi members.

Carr, 47, who joined AEPi when he was a student at UC Berkeley, told the Journal that the safety of AEPi’s members, including the 9,000 who are current, active dues-paying students, is of primary concern to the organization’s leadership, describing the security professionals working with AEPi as “people who are security experts who are on our payroll, who respond to the scene and who will work with the [respective AEPi] chapter on security measures on situational-awareness training, response training [and] liaise with law enforcement.”

Goldenberg, whose organization has been working with AEPi for about the past year, told the Journal the security goal at college campus institutions like AEPi is to retain the accessibility of facilities while ensuring that students are protected. SCN is also working with Hillel organizations toward the same goal, thanks in large part to Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Hillel International, who approached SCN approximately one year ago with the request, Goldenberg said.

The debates on college campuses over Israel and issues like divestment are largely cited as reasons behind anti-Semitic attacks such as the one that just took place at UC Davis. A divestment vote had taken place — and been passed — by student government earlier in the week.

Incidents against AEPi also have occurred at Claremont colleges, on campuses in Oregon, Arizona and elsewhere.

Denouncing the attacks that have taken place at college campuses, Goldenberg said vandals such as those at UC Davis, who have yet to be identified, are failing to recognize the distinction between events in the Middle East and American-Jewish organizations that don’t necessarily have a stance on Israel. 

“AEPi and Hillels are American, they’re America, they are part of the American fabric, and as such … the day that any Jewish student or any student fears for his or her life to attend a cultural event or a religious event on any campus will be a very sad day for America,” he said.