“These cowardly acts aim to create an atmosphere of fear and disrupt the important programs and services offered by JCCs”
Washington, DC —U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) joined all 100 members of the U.S. Senate in a letter to Trump Administration officials today to address recent bomb threats that have been made against Jewish Community Centers, Jewish Day Schools, and Synagogues in Ohio and throughout the country. The Senators urged Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and FBI Director James Comey to continue efforts to combat these anti-Semitic acts and to keep the Senate apprised of future action.
The letter also called for federal assistance in investigating and prosecute threats made against Jewish community organizations and in highlighting federal grants that could be used to enhance security measures. The Senators asked the respective federal agencies to work with state and local law enforcement to outline obligations under the Hate Crimes Statistics Act and other federal laws.
“These cowardly acts aim to create an atmosphere of fear and disrupt the important programs and services offered by JCCs to everyone in the communities they serve, including in our states,” said Brown and Portman in the letter. “We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities.”
“We encourage you to communicate with individual JCCs, the JCC Association of North America, Jewish Day Schools, Synagogues and other Jewish community institutions regarding victim assistance, grant opportunities or other federal assistance that may be available to enhance security measures and improve preparedness,” continued the Senators. “We also recognize the anti-Semitic sentiment behind this spate of threats and encourage your Departments to continue to inform state and local law enforcement organizations of their obligations under the Hate Crime Statistics Act and other federal laws.”
The American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Community Center Association of North America, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Orthodox Union, Jewish Federations of North America and Union for Reform Judaism all supported today’s letter.
A copy of the letter is below:
Dear Secretary Kelly, Attorney General Sessions, and Director Comey:
We write to underscore the need for swift action with regard to the deeply troubling series of anonymous bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers (JCCs), Jewish Day Schools, Synagogues and other buildings affiliated with Jewish organizations or institutions across the country. We thank you for your recent efforts and ask that you inform us of the actions that your Departments plan to take to address threats against these and other religious institutions. We stand ready to work with you to ensure that these centers can continue to serve their communities free from violence and intimidation.
It has become clear that threats of violence against individual JCCs are not isolated incidents. According to the JCC Association of North America, in the first two months of 2017 alone, at least 98 incidents against JCCs and Jewish Day Schools at 81 locations in 33 states have been reported. These cowardly acts aim to create an atmosphere of fear and disrupt the important programs and services offered by JCCs to everyone in the communities they serve, including in our states. In addition to reports of incidents at JCCs and Jewish Day Schools, there have been incidents at cemeteries in both St. Louis and Philadelphia involving the desecration of Jewish headstones. This is completely unacceptable and un-American.
We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities. Your Departments can provide crucial assistance by helping JCCs, Jewish Day Schools and Synagogues improve their physical security, deterring threats from being made, and investigating and prosecuting those making these threats or who may seek to act on these threats on the future. We encourage you to communicate with individual JCCs, the JCC Association of North America, Jewish Day Schools, Synagogues and other Jewish community institutions regarding victim assistance, grant opportunities or other federal assistance that may be available to enhance security measures and improve preparedness. We also recognize the anti-Semitic sentiment behind this spate of threats and encourage your Departments to continue to inform state and local law enforcement organizations of their obligations under the Hate Crimes Statistics Act and other federal laws.
We are ready to work with you to address this pressing issue, and we look forward to your responses about the actions you intend to take to address, deter, and prevent this threat.
That was a typo that was in the press release that we did not catch until this morning because of an astute reader like yourself. We should have though. It has now been changed.
Thanks Jen
“The letter also called for federal assistance in investigating and persecuting threats made against Jewish community organizations ….”
The Jews are the ones being persecuted. Those committing these terrible and cowardly hate crimes need to be prosecuted.