Officials React To Bomb Threats To Jewish Community Centers In Hudson Valley

In the wake of the latest series of bomb threats made to Jewish community centers Monday — two of which were in the Hudson Valley — public and private officials have condemned the acts of hatred.

Paul Warhit, president of the Westchester Jewish Council, said his organization condemns “these heinous acts of anti-Semitism and hate which impact all of Westchester and especially our Jewish community.”

He said the WJC commends the member organizations for swiftly responding and using safety protocols established to ensure their patrons’ safety.

The Jewish Community Center on the Hudson in Tarrytown was evacuated a little after 9 a.m. Monday. The Jewish Community Center of Mid-Westchester in New Rochelle received its bomb threat around 11 a.m.

No bombs were found.

This was the fifth wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centers around the country since the beginning of the year. New Yorkers were targeted also in the Presidents Day assault.

There were other incidents Monday in several states around the nation, including Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Warhit said the threats were taken seriously and his organization is grateful to county elected officials and law enforcement personnel for their swift attention to the matter.

“By working together, we will apprehend those responsible for spreading hatred across our country and county,” he said.

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said the incident was horrifying.

“But — unfortunately — not surprising, given the rise in anti-Semitic incidents nationwide,” he said.

“We must stand together in rejecting hateful activity and speech of any kind and in affirming the right of all people in our community to live free from fear or threat,” Bramson said.

State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-District 88, said the bomb threat at the JCC of Mid-Westchester hit home to her, because that is the center she and her family uses.

“Yet every act or threat of hatred hits home to someone,” she said, “and therefore hits home to everyone who stands for inclusion, for justice and human values.”

Paulin said that elected officials and community leaders must speak out “so that people who deal in threats, violence and hatred understand they will never win and that humanity and decency always will.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered an investigation into the bomb threats that happened in Staten Island, Plainview, Tarrytown and New Rochelle by ordering the State Police to work with federal and local law enforcement to investigate the threats and bring those responsible to justice.

“Make no mistake: These reprehensible and cowardly attacks are not limited to the Jewish community,” he said.

“They are assaults on all New Yorkers, and I vow that we will do everything in our power to catch those responsible for this wave of hate crimes,” Cuomo said.

“I share the pain and the outrage of so many New Yorkers who are affected directly and those who are sickened by watching these attacks unfold,” he said.

SEE ALSO: Presidents Day Wave of Threats against JCCs Includes 2 in New York

Photo credit: Google Maps.