JCCs in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arizona received similarly worded threats.
By Pesach Benson, United With Israel
Jewish institutions across the U.S. have been facing a flurry of bomb threats in recent weeks, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported last week.
Michael Masters, who directs the Secure Community Network, which advises numerous Jewish institutions on security issues, said Jewish community centers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arizona have all received similarly worded threats through their online contact forms.
“The two most recent threats, in Missouri and Pennsylvania, both began, ‘I’ll be there at 12 to bomb your facility you Ukrainian Jew filth i got bombs there now,'” the JTA reported.
Masters told the JTA the threats don’t appear to be credible and have not achieved their apparent goal of spreading fear or forcing JCCs to go into lockdown.
“We think that these guys are doing other calls because they’re not getting the outcome that they want, which is to potentially shut down the facility or sow discontent or fear,” Masters told the JTA.
A $1.5 trillion spending bill approved by Congress in early March included $250 million in grants for synagogue security. A hostage standoff at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas in January drew attention to the security needs of Jewish non-profits.