Ukraine-related bomb threats target two Jewish institutions, ADL says
The Marilyn Fox Building on the campus of the St. Louis Jewish Community Center, which was the target of a bomb threat Wednesday morning, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Courtesy of St. Louis Jewish Community Center
By Arno Rosenfeld March 23, 2022
Two Jewish institutions, one in Missouri and one in Pennsylvania, were the targets Wednesday morning of what the Anti-Defamation League described as identical bomb threats that invoked Ukraine, the latest in a “spate of bomb threats” that it is tracking.
The two most recent threats began: “I’ll be there at 12 to bomb your facility you ukranian jew filth i got bombs there now.”
One of the threats was sent to the St. Louis Jewish Community Center and another to a Pennsylvania institution, but Gutnick said the ADL did not know which one.
The threats were delivered through online contact portals, referred to Ukraine and gave a specific time for the threat, he said.
ADL is tracking a spate of bomb threats reported at Jewish institutions across several states. We remain in ongoing contact with local and federal law enforcement, and continue to work with partners on the ground to ensure safety for the Jewish community.
— ADL (@ADL) March 23, 2022
The perpetrators, who have sent the threats over the past several weeks, appear frustrated when the targeted institution does not shut down after security officials determine that the threat is not credible, said Michael Masters, who directs the Secure Community Network, a consultancy that works with national Jewish groups.
“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,” he said.
Masters said that the targeted JCCs are working with his organization, Jewish federations and the JCC Association of North America as well as with local law enforcement.
A Detroit area synagogue received a bomb threat last week that the rabbi subsequently described as a “cruel hoax designed to terrorize our communities.” The Detroit News reported that Temple Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills received the threat in a phone call shortly before Shabbat last Friday. Police evacuated the building and no bombs were found.
Jewish community centers across the United States and other countries were the subject of more than 2,000 bomb threats in 2017. A 19-year-old Israeli-American was eventually arrested in Israel and charged with making dozens of those threats.
Portions of this post appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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