The American Jewish Committee, in cooperation with North Shore Synagogue of Syosset, recently presented a forum entitled "A New Kind of War: Are we prepared to respond to terrorism?" at the North Shore Synagogue in Syosset. The purpose was to educate residents of Nassau County on the County's ability to respond to all types of terrorist threats.

Guest speakers and panelists included Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs; Deputy Inspector John Carlson, director of Emergency Services, Nassau County Police; Carrie Welt, division supervisor, Office of the Nassau County Fire Marshal; Howard Sovronsky, commissioner of the Nassau County Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Dr. Paul Pipia, senior vice president of medical affairs and medical director of Nassau University Medical Center.

"Terrorism is a serious subject and one that we are all concerned about," said Long Island Director of the American Jewish Committee Joan Silverman as she opened the program. "Our hearts and minds are wrapped around this issue."

Silverman explained that the American Jewish Committee is well-known in the arena of counter-terrorism and works in terms of education and legal advocacy. After receiving many calls by people expressing their concern and wanting some information in the wake of the events of Sept. 11, Silverman decided to hold the forum.

Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) spoke to the approximately 100 concerned citizens in attendance and said that there is no partisan politics when it comes to the situation that is facing America today. "For the health safety and welfare of this community and every community in Nassau County, we must do what has to be done," Jacobs said.

Jacobs said that she spoke to Leonard Samansky, who has been leading the county executive and legislative portion of emergency management, and he wanted everyone to know that there have been no cases of bio-terrorism in Nassau County. "There have been a little over 100 responses to concerns that people had, but they turned out to be negative," said Jacobs. "In the course of a normal season, 20,000 people die of the flu every year. It puts things in perspective. There have been six deaths from anthrax. I am as frightened as everyone else, but these statistics put it in perspective."

Jacobs updated everyone on the Hazardous Materials Training Division of the Fire Marshal's Office. "Almost all of the 71 fire departments in Nassau County have members trained to the operation level of Hazardous Material Training," said Jacobs. "The entire fire marshal staff is trained to at least the HAZMAT Technician level with most members trained to the specialist level and beyond."

The first panelist to speak was John Carlson and he explained that his responsibility is to ensure the county is prepared to respond to acts of terrorism and any other kinds of disasters. He explained that Nassau County is susceptible to hurricanes and some of the same principals are applicable to bio-terrorism. Like when preparing for a hurricane, people should have canned goods and bottled water in their house in the event of a terrorist attack, Carlson explained.

"The threat of Anthrax, although unnerving, is not considered a serious threat in Nassau County right now," said Carlson. "Given the preparations we have taken, we are prepared to deal with any bio-terrorism threats."

According to Carrie Welt, there are simple things that the community can do to protect themselves, such as staying away from unknown substances and keeping up personal hygiene by frequently washing hands. "The public, working with governmental agencies in alerting them to something that is a problem and taking care of themselves will minimize the potential of any incident that could occur," said Welt.

Howard Sovronsky, former member of the Synagogue, explained the many ways that the mental health field has been affected by the terrorist and how those professionals have responded to the situation. "From almost the minute that word of the World Trade Center attack got out, the mental health system in Nassau County was activated," said Sovronsky. "We were behind the scenes providing mental health services to victims and families who were heavily impacted by these events. We found that most people are having an emotional response in one way or another. What you may feel being in an abnormal state or a state of stress, is a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. We are here to provide local mental support."

Nassau County's department of Mental Health was the first department in the state to enter into an agreement with the New York Red Cross, which is the lead agency to respond to disasters. Also, Sovronsky announced a new program, named Project Liberty, which will be part of a multi-county initiative to assist those in need of mental health counseling. "Through the efforts of the federal government, we will provide crisis counseling and outreach to all of the communities that have been impacted by the World Trade Center attack and the subsequent bio-terrorism threats that we all face," he said.

Overall, the panelists urged everyone to be cautious and alert, but not to panic. They explained that while there is no need for gas masks or hazardous material suits, residents should be prepared.

Jacobs assured everyone that Nassau County is as ready as it could be for the threat of a terrorist attack. "Nassau County is many steps beyond where anyone ever thought we would have to be," she said. "The county is on track and we are doing everything that has to be done to ensure that the health, safety and welfare are the first consideration."