JTA — With $274 million in federal security grants about to go up for grabs, dozens of progressive Jewish groups and several synagogues say they are boycotting the program.

In an open letter launched last week, they said they can’t accept the strings attached to the money, despite the risk of being targeted with violence. The letter comes in response to new requirements that grantees support federal immigration enforcement and avoid programs advancing diversity introduced earlier this year by the Department of Homeland Security.

“We are committed to upholding our communal values and will not comply with these repressive conditions,” reads the letter.

The letter arrives as some Jewish leaders press those in need of funds to apply, arguing that objections may be settled before recipients must formally agree to the conditions.

Many of the signatories are progressive groups, including Bend the Arc: Jewish Action and pro-Palestinian groups such as IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace.

But they also include a handful of nonpartisan synagogues. Other synagogues have also independently decided to boycott the program as long as the controversial conditions are in place.

“Jewish safety requires inclusive democracy and inclusive democracy requires Jewish safety. We do not comply so we will not apply,” Jill Maderer, the senior rabbi at Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia, posted on Facebook. She declined to be interviewed.

Meanwhile, one rabbi, facing what he described as a choice between his congregation’s safety and his sacred obligations, said he wishes to speak out. But he agreed to discuss the matter only anonymously, fearing that public protest could endanger two community members who are refugees.

“Money is being given to us on condition that we violate a specific mitzvah,” the rabbi said, referring to the religious commandment to welcome strangers. “I don’t see how we can possibly accept that money.”

Anxiety over the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which Jewish groups have long sought to expand, represents the latest instance of some American Jews saying that Trump administration policies force their priorities and values into conflict. The unease is heightened by the administration’s chaotic rollout with mainstream Jewish organizations working intensely behind the scenes to shape the policies while offering a limited public response.

Rising concerns about antisemitic attacks have sharply increased demand for funds distributed by the program, which is run by the........

© The Times of Israel