False bomb threats have been sent by email to over 400 Jewish organizations in the United States since Saturday, December 16, said the international Jewish non-governmental group Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
False Bomb Threats
The Anti-Defamation League's Vice President of the Center on Extremism, Oren Segal, told CNN that they suspect a single or small group of people were responsible for the spate of threats. He had seen the emails and said there were a number of resemblances, such as the kind of threats made and the variations in the name of the entity claiming responsibility.
"The Jewish community doesn't take any threat lightly," Segal said, despite the fact that all of the threats turned out to be hoaxes. "We don't have the luxury to ignore them."
Before this, the Secure Community Network--a nonprofit that monitors threats to Jewish communities--had documented over 200 instances of swatting calls and bomb threats directed at such institutions. The network said that institutions in several states, including California, Arizona, Connecticut, Colorado, and Washington, were the targets of fake threats and swatting instances, which include hoax calls to police to bring them to a site under the erroneous impression that a crime has been committed or is underway.
In a statement sent to CNN, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) acknowledged the hoaxes and is providing assistance to local law enforcement in their investigations. The agency also noted that there is no evidence to indicate a present, genuine threat.
"The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention," the agency stated.
This comes only days after Hanukkah came to a close, and sadly, this becomes part of a disturbing trend. Threats against the Jewish community have been on the rise since the conflict in Gaza broke out in October.
The Secure Community Network reports that there was a 541% rise in bomb threats and swatting events against Jewish organizations this year compared to 2022.
People gathered for a rally in Times Square demanding the freeing of hostages taken in the October 7 attack by Hamas on October 19, 2023, in New York City.
Also Read: Florida Lawmakers Pass New Bills To Secure Jewish Institutions, Fight Antisemitism
Threats From Various States
The Secure Community Network reports that police agencies in many states have received reports of threats and swatting occurrences in their towns.
David Procopio, director of communications for the Massachusetts state police, said that roughly 30 Jewish cultural organizations and temples got some kind of threat communication over the weekend.
According to a Facebook post by the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office in Alabama, they responded to a bomb threat at the Congregation Mayim Chayim. The agency said the threat proved unfounded, and the region is now considered safe.
Additionally, two nearby synagogues in Georgia were threatened, as per the Roswell Police Department's Facebook post. Yet, nothing out of the ordinary was discovered.
Also Read: London Jewish Community to Push Through With Public Celebration of Hanukkah
