In an April 24 letter to constituents, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman called antisemitism “a national epidemic.”
He added that similar hate against Black communities, Muslims, immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community is, too.
But, in that same letter, he announced his office would not be including a provision to fund a county-administered program that helps pay for security for vulnerable minority communities in the county in its final budget proposal for the next fiscal year.
And while he noted the existence of the county’s new Hate Crimes Prevention Program and a willingness for direct coordination between these vulnerable groups and Anne Arundel County Police, Jewish advocates in the county still feel disappointed after steadily advocating for the budget provision.
Jody Goldsmith, co-founder and president of the newly-formed Jewish Federation of Annapolis and the Chesapeake, said that the ask was largely inspired by similar programs in surrounding Maryland counties.
“We knew that there were some counties with their own grant programs — Montgomery, Howard, Prince George’s,” he said. “So we thought this made sense. These programs are not just Jewish-orientated, but are oriented for all faith groups and nonprofits at risk. We need to get something like this, because we’re all potentially having problems in the future.”
Federation Co-Founder and Secretary Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi said that the issue is particularly important in Anne Arundel County because the Jewish institutions in the area are small and less equipped than their peers in areas with more Jews and their deeply-ingrained institutions.
“The original reason that we got the new Federation going was our concerns about security. We saw that despite caring leaders in our community who care about hate crimes, there is just a tremendous amount of toxicity,” she said.
Laszlo Mizrahi cited antisemitic graffiti that appeared locally, as well as internal pushes by Anne Arundel synagogues to increase security that have stressed their budgets.
“They’ve applied for federal grants, they’ve applied for state grants, but those grants do not cover all of the urgent needs,” she said. “It’s particularly important when you have a small Jewish community like ours because we have synagogues with only 130 members, and yet they have an early school program that meets all week. So how do you afford full-time, in-person security in a congregation with only 130 families?”
When reached for comment, the Office of the County Executive cited the April 24 letter, in which Pittman described the county as “stretched” financially. Pointing to Montgomery County’s $1.7 million safety grant program, as well as programs in Howard and Prince George’s counties that have been “much smaller,” he said Anne Arundel County would not be well served with a small program.
“While some have said that even a small program sends a signal that we care, I believe that a small grant program that rejects most applicants leaves too many feeling rejected,” Pittman wrote.
From here, the Federation will meet with candidates for the 2026 county executive election to express continued support for a program’s inclusion in future budgets. They are also meeting with faith leaders and representatives of other communities to coordinate future action and make sure everyone is on the same page about the need for support.
Looking to the next budget cycle is crucial at this point. With Pittman’s final budget proposal due for submission on May 1, there isn’t much time left for a change or much of a chance he is interested in making one.
Either way, Goldsmith is optimistic.
“Maybe Steuart Pittman hasn’t seen the light yet for whatever reason, [but] I think this security piece will get through,” he said. “Anne Arundel County and the Annapolis Police Department are very attuned to the antisemitic rhetoric and the things that are going on and are very, very supportive.”
If something is going to happen, however, it needs to happen soon. Laszlo Mizrahi said that Jewish institutions can’t be forced to choose between financial solvency and their community’s security.
“It has become that the security costs are almost at extinction level for our congregations to be able to keep their doors open. And of course, if you don’t have the security, then people won’t come,” she said.
While this budget proposal may not be included, the community won’t stop voicing its needs and working for the safety of all vulnerable minorities.
“People do care, and people continue to care,” Goldsmith said. “People should be reassured by that.”
