How Crown Heights Came to Have Its Own Safety Office

Every Jewish community has a safety office for Jewish souls; a tech office that fits filters to phones and computers. For years, Crown Heights had been relying on a mobile truck from Williamsburg TAG that came once a week, until one dedicated group of people decided that Crown Heights deserved to have an office of their own.

By Anash.org reporter

It’s no secret anymore that open access to the internet is a portal into dangerous and horrifying territory with disturbing and sometimes tragic psychological impact. For this reason, Jewish communities everywhere have a technology office where phones and computers can be fitted with appropriate filters to ensure safe usage.

Yet for years Crown Heights did not have its own office. From the early days of technology, Lubavitch rabbonim gave clear guidance on using it appropriately, yet there was a need to create a system to streamline the process.

Rabbi Shmuel Pevzner, the founder of ‘Safe Tech Crown Heights’ first got involved in the program ten years ago when he arranged the first internet safety event in Crown Heights along with Rabbi Shimon Hellinger and Rabbi Shlomo Sternberg.

“At the event, it became clear that it was necessary to make filtering systems more accessible to residents in Crown Heights,” said Rabbi Pevzner. “People wanted to take responsibility for their and their family’s technology, but they need help setting up.”

To this end, Rabbi Pevzner hired Rabbi Boruch Yehuda Kahana, a staff member at TAG Williamsburg, to come to Crown Heights once a week and install filters for those who wished. Every Wednesday for years, a mobile truck would park in front of the JCM and was available to put filters on phones to any customers that approached. Indeed, Crown Heightsers came to the TAG Mobile in droves and Rabbi Kahana could often be found hard at work installing filters long after the official hours ended.

“It became absolutely necessary to have more local options so that getting filters would be easier and more convenient so that people would be able to protect themselves at their families,” said Rabbi Pevzner.

“There was also a huge need for education and awareness about the necessity of protection, and the dangers that could afflict a household that didn’t take the necessary precautions r”l. Unfortunately, many people learned the hard way by seeing the bad results once it was too late.”

Not one to see a crisis and ignore it, Rabbi Pevzner arranged for an office to open in Crown Heights to install filters. He solicited staff, rented an office space, and began advertising.

The new office, called ‘Safe Tech Crown Heights,’ opened part-time at the beginning of this year with partners Yosef Tuvia Silberstrom and Mendy Krinsky. The clientele is growing, and people appreciate the convenient location in the center of Kingston Ave.

With the incredible success of the store, Rabbi Pevzner is now going to be opening the location full time for the benefit of the Crown Heights community.

“While there are many filters out there, there is a huge advantage in getting a filter created specifically for the Jewish community,” Rabbi Pevzner says. “Secular filters are easy for adults to circumvent, since they are made primarily for children. But as Yidden, we want to protect ourselves as well. In addition, Jewish companies are constantly investing in the best technology to ensure that the filters are up to date and compatible with device updates.”

The feedback has been incredible, says Rabbi Pevzner, and people are grateful for the service which is a literal lifesaver.

“I can’t tell you how many parents approached me to tell me how the filters are saving their children and themselves. No one should ever have a device around the house that isn’t protected, even if you think it’s only accessible in a public space. It’s not worth the risk and the bitter realization after you discover that someone was up to no good. Don’t delay! Go now and get a good filter for all of your devices.”

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The Safe Tech office is located at 399 Kingston Avenue, at the back of the legendary Flash store.

Office hours are: Sunday, Wednesday – 2-6 PM; Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday – 4-8 PM.

Drop-off Service is available during all hours when Flash is open. Leave your phone and contact information and our technician will call you to have your filter installed.

SafeTech also offers an education center for safe technology use, school and group services, and a full line of kosher phones.

For more information and to discuss opportunities to become a paid technician, please email: [email protected]