Boca Raton, FL….January 09, 2017 – The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is deeply troubled by bomb threats called in to at least eight Florida Jewish institutions in less than one week.
Bomb threats were called into institutions located in Central Florida last week, including the Jewish Academy of Orlando in Maitland, the Chabad of South Orlando, and two Tampa-area Jewish Community Center Preschools. Today, threats were called in to the Galbut Family Jewish Community Center in Miami Beach, the Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center in Kendall, the Jewish Community Alliance in Jacksonville, the Roth Family Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando, and the Tampa Jewish Federation. All of these incidents resulted in the evacuation of the facilities.
The threats to the various Jewish institutions are still under police investigation and ADL has been in touch with law enforcement.
ADL Florida Regional Director Hava L. Holzhauer issued the following statement:
“It is disheartening to begin 2017 with hate being called into Jewish Institutions. Make no mistake, these are terror acts intended to intimidate and disrupt the everyday lives of Jewish members of the community. We are grateful for the quick response of various law enforcement departments from across the state, which have assisted in the evacuations and clearance of the facilities impacted by these calls. We value our freedoms and inclusiveness in this country. We hope law enforcement will find the individuals responsible for these cowardly acts and bring them to justice.”
Florida has not been the only state where Jewish institutions have been targeted. There have been reports of bomb threats today at Jewish Community Centers in several states, including Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. These follow several bomb threats called in to Georgia and New Jersey institutions last week.
At the beginning of 2016, similar calls were received by Jewish institutions in Palm Beach Gardens, Maitland, and Tampa.
In respond to these incidents, ADL issued a Security Advisory for all Jewish Institutions that included the following action steps:
- Review the Bomb Threat Guidance provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
- Refer to the chapter on Explosive Threat Response Planning in ADL’s Security Manual Protecting Your Jewish Institution.
- Watch the segment of the security video ADL Safety Series: Mitigating and Managing Security Risks for America’s Jewish Institutions which provides best practices for responding to a bomb threat.
- ADL’s Protecting Your Jewish Institution: Security Strategies for Today’s Dangerous World assists Jewish institutions in creating welcoming environments while keeping them safe.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is one of the nation’s premier human relations and civil rights organizations, fighting anti-Semitism and bigotry of all kinds.
Visit our websites: www.adl.org/ florida.adl.org