Four first rules in a crisis
One of my clients is a former employer: the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. I was on the team that responded to the Oct. 27, 2018 attack that killed eleven people from Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation and Tree of Life Congregation. It was the most difficult and emotionally draining work of my professional life, but it was also the most fulfilling once I could see how we helped some people in Pittsburgh to heal.
Since that horrible day, few weeks go by without another antisemitic incident or attack in Pittsburgh. Our Jewish community is very safe, and we have a Jewish community security program that is working as designed. Nevertheless, the tide of antisemitism keeps rising.
Today saw a coordinated vandalism attack on Jewish institutions, blaming them for the actions of a foreign government (Israel). This is an antisemitic attack because it blames religious groups for Israel’s actions. You should not tolerate this accusation any more than you would tolerate blaming an American mosque for the actions of the Iranian government or blaming a Black church for the actions of the Nigerian government.
It also reminded me of communication “musts” I wish I knew before the attack at the Tree of Life building, which I relate to you in the hope that you can do better:
Keep the message simple. Saying the same thing over and over again is the right thing to do. You will get sick of the message, but your community needs to hear it to feel like things are under control. Be honest, but also keep calm and remind others that they should keep calm.
Prepare in advance. You should have a crisis communication plan, and they are not hard to create. (Note: I can help you in this area.) Make sure to include preparing your board members, partners, volunteer leaders and others connected to your organization. You will not have time to bring them on board when a crisis happens.
Triage and prioritize. Focus on victims and survivors and their needs. We use a trauma-informed care lens, which I highly recommend (and another area where I can help). You should feel free to say no. Your time is valuable. You will not have time to do everything. (Ask me about the “medical clowns” when you get a chance—a request where I said “no.”)
Lean on others to help. Make clear, simple requests that are within their capabilities, give them clear parameters of what you want (including time and date items are due), and then let them work. Leaning on others will also help you to take care of yourself, which you will find to be more and more important over time. This will be a marathon, and you need to conserve some energy. Remember that you can both feel terrible for the victims’ families and feel good about your own work. This idea took me more than a year in therapy to reconcile.