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(JTA) — The biggest Jewish neighborhood group in Louisville, Kentucky is dealing with criticism for hiring a police officer who was on the scene through the police killings of Breonna Taylor and David McAtee, each in 2020.
Josh Judah, a retired lieutenant colonel with the Louisville Metro Police Division, was employed to function a safety advisor for The Jewish Neighborhood of Louisville, an umbrella group that features Louisville’s Jewish Neighborhood Heart and Jewish Federation.
Judah was on the scene of the raid at Breonna Taylor’s condo in March of 2020, when police carried out a no-knock search warrant and shot the younger Black girl six instances. He reportedly confirmed one other officer’s unfaithful claims that Taylor was on the ground and armed with a rifle. 4 present and former Louisville police, not together with Judah, face federal civil rights and illegal conspiracy expenses in her loss of life.
Judah’s new function contains overseeing the JCL’s SAFE Louisville initiative, which incorporates operating safety operations of Jewish establishments and organizations throughout Kentucky, responding to antisemitic threats and incidents and supervising neighborhood security trainings. Within the function, Judah is the full-time consultant in Louisville of the Safe Neighborhood Community, a nationwide Jewish safety service based by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Convention of Presidents of Main American Jewish Organizations.
Judah was additionally concerned within the occasions surrounding the loss of life of David McAtee, a Black restaurant proprietor shot by police and the Nationwide Guard through the nationwide protests towards police brutality in 2020. Judah had dispatched police to disperse a crowd gathering exterior McAtee’s restaurant, the place there was a celebration in violation of town’s 9:00 p.m. curfew. Police fired pepper balls into the group, McAtee responded by firing two pictures, and the Louisville police and Nationwide Guard fired again. A bullet struck McAtee within the chest and killed him.
McAtee’s household filed a wrongful loss of life lawsuit towards the Nationwide Guard members and law enforcement officials concerned, together with Judah. The civil case will go to trial in April 2023.
In line with NPR affiliate station WFPL, just a few members of the Louisville Jewish neighborhood had circulated a petition to JCL leaders criticizing the rent, saying it might “threaten the protection and luxury” of Jews of coloration and create a rift between the Black and Jewish communities.
“Whereas many members of Jewish communities have grown accustomed to having a police presence in our areas, and really feel safer attributable to this presence, this optimistic affiliation just isn’t common,” the petition says. “Inviting regulation enforcement into an area doesn’t assure all these in that area will probably be, or really feel, protected equally.”
Judah responded to the criticism in an interview with WFPL.
“I’m not a part of LMPD. I’m targeted on my future, which is empowering the Jewish neighborhood and broader communities of religion to satisfy the very actual challenges of violence in 2022,” stated Judah, who was named LMPD’s “Commanding Officer of the Yr” in 2015. “The easiest way I’ve realized to bridge gaps is to satisfy with individuals and speak to them.”
“Dangerous actors who’re concentrating on Jewish communities are concentrating on African-American communities, they’re concentrating on LGBTQ communities,” he continued. “What we’re making an attempt to do is kind of set up a management function and assist make communities of religion, no matter that appears like, safer.”
JCL had tried to handle neighborhood members’ considerations about hiring Judah by noting that Judah was upfront in job interviews about “very controversial command selections” he made whereas serving within the Louisville Metro Police.
“He understands higher than most what points should be addressed to construct and rebuild neighborhood relationships and belief. His want to serve was deeply evident all through the hiring course of,” JCL management instructed residents.
Sara Klein Wagner, JCL CEO and president, responded to WFPL in an e-mail.
“SAFE Louisville is designed to guard our Jewish residents, synagogues and organizations,” Klein Wagner wrote. “Since lots of the threats confronted by the Jewish neighborhood come from violent extremists who additionally goal members of different communities based mostly on religion, race, ethnicity, and gender, the SAFE Louisville initiative will assist improve the safety of our complete neighborhood.”
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