I learned to plan out in advance how I would react to emergency and other situations. There are all sorts of “What would I do if…?” scenarios you can ask yourself. Police officers are trained to react to various kinds of emergency situations; even when riding to a possible crime scene they are taught to discuss with their partner how they should handle it or what they should do if certain things happen. Although one can never be prepared for every eventuality, having a plan is a good idea.
I learned that “role plays” can be an effective way of teaching others how to act in precarious situations. One of the most interesting aspects of training at the academy was the dramatic role plays, based on real-life incidents, that recruits were put through. The next best thing to sending the recruits out onto the streets to learn from actual experience (they get that in their post-academy field training at precincts), the role plays prepared them to handle many different kinds of possible scenarios.
Role plays can be especially helpful in teaching children precautionary behavior. Children can be told by parents and educators how to act in all sorts of situations, but role plays (with an adult playing, for example, a potential abductor) bring more realism to bear and can challenge children in a significantly more direct manner than mere verbal instruction.
None of this is meant to make anyone anything more than vigilant of his or her surroundings. Ultimately, Jews need to be alert and observant at all times, especially in Jewish settings or in countries, cities, or neighborhoods where anti-Semitism is known to be a problem.
We live in a dangerous world, a world where being Jewish – or being in Jewish locales and venues – increases one’s chances of becoming a target.