New Wave Of Bomb Threats Hits Jewish Community Centers Across U.S.

Police officers stand by as adults and children return to St. Louis Jewish Community Center on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in St. Louis, Mo., after canine units cleared the building. According to St. Louis County Polic... Police officers stand by as adults and children return to St. Louis Jewish Community Center on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in St. Louis, Mo., after canine units cleared the building. According to St. Louis County Police, someone called the front desk claiming a device was inside. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) MORE LESS
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Jewish community centers in at least 11 states received bomb threats on Monday, echoing similar waves of threats on Jan. 9 and Jan. 18.

The threats came after hundreds of headstones were overturned at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia over the weekend. According to a report by WPVI, more than 500 headstones were damaged in what police called an act of vandalism, though they did not attribute a specific cause.

The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey in Cherry Hill tweeted on Monday morning that it was “safely evacuated” and that police were at the scene.

Police also investigated a threat at the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, according to a report by local NBC station WCAU.

The Siegel Jewish Community Center in Wilmington, Delaware, was also evacuated Monday morning, New Castle County Police told WCAU.

The York Jewish Community Center in Pennsylvania tweeted that it was closed due to “an emergency situation.”

Officials said that staff and students at a Jewish community center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were evacuated due to a bomb threat, according to a report by local CBS station KYW-TV.

The Jewish Community Center of Indianapolis tweeted that it was closed after receiving a bomb threat Monday. In a later post, the center wrote the threat “was found to be a hoax” by law enforcement.

Police investigated a bomb threat phoned into the Asheville Jewish Community Center in North Carolina, according to a report by WSPA and the Associated press.

Threats were also called into Jewish organizations in Baltimore and Rockville, Maryland.

The Anti-Defamation League tweeted that it confirmed a threat was made to a Jewish day school in Fairfax, Virginia.

Staff and students evacuated the David Posnack Jewish Day School in Davie, Florida, according to a report by local CBS station WFOR-TV.

The Jewish Community Center of Staten Island also received a bomb threat on Monday, according to WABC. New York police searched the building and found no bomb.

Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham, Alabama, received its third threat this year, according to a report by AL.com. Betzy Lynch, the center’s executive director, said that officials did not find any suspicious devices.

Ann Arbor police said they were investigating at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor on Monday after a staffer reported a bomb threat. Students were allowed back into the building shortly before noon, according to a report by Mlive.com.

“It is time for action,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted.

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