BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Two Lehigh Valley places of worship have been awarded thousands of dollars by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
Holy Family Church, a century-old Catholic parish in Nazareth with a unique origin story, got $25,000 from the grant.
And Congregation Bnai Shalom synagogue in Wilson Borough, a modern iteration of one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the United States, founded in 1839, received $24,319.
The funds come from the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund Program, state Sen. Lisa Boscola's office announced in a news release.
Inspiration for the program was a public tragedy:
“Following the tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, we acted as a General Assembly to approve funding for nonprofits and religious institutions to invest in security upgrades through the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund program,” said Boscola, D-Northampton/Lehigh.
The Tree of Life Synagogue massacre resulted in the murder of 11 people and the wounding of two others on Oct. 27, 2018.
The perpetrator, Robert Bowers, was indicted on 44 counts by a federal jury, charged with federal hate crimes, and in 2023 was unanimously recommended for the death penalty by a federal jury.