JCC Threats: More Than A Dozen Jewish Institutions Targeted Monday

More than a dozen Jewish Community Centers and several Jewish day schools across the country were targeted by threats on Monday, the fifth time this year a series of such threats have been reported at Jewish institutions.

The threats were reported to 13 JCCs and eight Jewish day schools in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia, according to the JCC of Northern America.

In York, Pennsylvania, the JCC announced on Twitter that it was closed due to an "emergency situation." The center later said it received a bomb threat via phone and authorities declared the building safe. The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey was evacuated due to an unspecified threat.

MLive reports police investigated a bomb threat at the Jewish Community Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan where a staff member told police a man called the school located at the center and said there was a bomb in a backpack that would be detonated. No explosives or suspicious packages were found. Police in Rhode Island conducted a sweep of the JCC on the east side of Providence, but nothing was found. In Davie, Florida, a Jewish day school was evacuated following a threat. Two other Jewish day schools, one in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania and another in Annapolis, Maryland were forced to evacuate. Threats were also reported at six Jewish centers in New York, two in the Hudson Valley, one on Long Island and three in Staten Island.

The JCC in Indianapolis was closed due to a bomb threat that was determined to be a hoax. Another threat reported at at JCC in Maryland was also determined to be a hoax.

The JCC Association of North America issued the following statement in response to the threats:

“Anti-Semitism of this nature should not and must not be allowed to endure in our communities. The Justice Department, Homeland Security, the FBI, and the White House, alongside Congress and local officials, must speak out – and speak out forcefully – against this scourge of anti-Semitism impacting communities across the country.

“Actions speak louder than words. Members of our community must see swift and concerted action from federal officials to identify and capture the perpetrator or perpetrators who are trying to instill anxiety and fear in our communities.

“We remain grateful to local law enforcement who continue to serve our communities and ensure that our JCCs and schools remain safe and open for business as the vital community institutions they are.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti Defamation League, said the organization was engaged with law enforcement regarding the new wave of threats.

The threats come just a day after a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia was vandalized. Last week, an anonymous bomb threat was called into the ADL's national headquarters in Manhattan.

This is the fifth wave of threats targeting Jewish centers.

The threats prompted reactions from state leaders. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered state police to work with local and federal law enforcement to investigate the threats and apprehend those responsible.

At the daily briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump continues to condemn any form of anti-semitic acts.

The ADL issued a security advisory to Jewish institutions nationwide. By the organization's count, approximately 90 bomb threats have been called into Jewish institutions since the beginning of 2017.

Patch will update this breaking news story.

Image: Police outside JCC Albany after a threat Jan. 31, via Albany Police