At least 17 bomb threats to JCCs in third wave of harassment

JTA – At least 17 Jewish community centers across the United States were targeted with bomb threats Jan. 31 in the third wave of such mass disruption in January.

Paul Goldenberg, the director of Secure Community Networks – an affiliate of the Jewish Federations of North America, which advises Jewish groups and institutions on security – said the threats were called in late in the morning. Some of the messages were live, he confirmed.

“[I]n the past we know that the numbers can grow exponentially,” he said, adding that perpetrators have been “leveraging technologies to make mass calls.”

Goldenberg confirmed that threats had been called into JCCs in Albany, New York; Syracuse, New York; West Orange, New Jersey, Milwaukee, San Diego and Salt Lake City.

The JCC in New Haven, Connecticut, received a live call at 11:45 a.m. Jan. 31 threatening violence. The JCC is housed in several locations following a Dec. 5 fire, and evacuated about 100 people from those sites following the call. After law enforcement determined that the threat was not credible, the evacuees returned. The New Haven JCC was also targeted in a wave of bomb threats about two weeks ago.

“We recognize that we live under a new set of circumstances that we have to be responsive to, and take every possible precaution to keep our people safe,” said New Haven JCC CEO Judy Diamondstein. “While we are disrupted, we refuse to be daunted by this.”

Goldenberg said his organization was instructing the JCCs to be in touch with local police to determine if they should evacuate. 

“In light of the newest bomb threats, we must remain a resilient community, and we need to ensure that we are back at our JCCs as soon as local police advise the all-clear,” Goldenberg said.

He added: “Our Jewish community centers are focusing on security today more than ever before, and in spite of these continuous bomb threats I’m confident that our institutions are taking security seriously – and in many cases Jewish institutions are more secure than institutions frequented by the general public.”

The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island issue the following statement after a series of bomb threats nationwide Jan. 18:

“We, at the Jewish Alliance, are committed to the safety and well-being of our community. While many JCCs around the country have received non-credible threats, no such calls have been made to our campus.

“Be assured, we are working with the proper authorities and following all recommended procedures, ensuring the ongoing safety and security of our building.

“As always, we will maintain communication with law enforcement and our security team in order to vigilantly ensure the security, safety, and well-being of our members.
You can be confident knowing that we have taken added measures to increase security, some of which you will notice, with many things happening behind the scenes.

On Jan. 18, some 30 Jewish institutions in at least 17 states received bomb threats. On Jan. 9, such threats were called into 16 JCCs across the Northwest and South, forcing the evacuation of hundreds.

With reports by The Jewish Voice staff.