Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood Among 10 Jewish Centers That Received Bomb Threats Yesterday

The Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood received a hoax bomb threat yesterday around 11:17 in the morning. No evacuation was ordered and police with bomb sniffing dogs quickly determined the threat was false.

“Like many JCCs around the country, the Mandel JCC received a noncredible bomb threat via phone call earlier today,” JCC president and CEO Michael Hyman said in a statement. “Following established procedures, Mandel JCC security officers initiated a building-wide search. City of Beachwood police with bomb-sniffing dogs and the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Director of Community-Wide Security were quickly on site. It was determined that the threat was non-credible and the building was not evacuated. The J remains open and operating as usual.”

Still, the JCC was among 10 Jewish centers around the country that received bomb threats yesterday (which happened to be Presidents Day). There have been more than 40 in previous weeks.

The FBI and Department of Justice are involved in the investigations of incidents that also targeted JCC centers in Buffalo, Birmingham, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Tampa, Albuquerque, Nashville and Houston. Additionally, 170 Jewish gravestones in a Missouri cemetery were knocked over.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate group activity, told NBC News that it had found 1,094 incidents in the month after the election tied to anti-Semitic, anti-black and anti-immigrant feelings.

Ivanka Trump addressed the wave of threats in a tweet last night, saying, “America is a nation built on the principle of religious tolerance. We must protect our houses of worship & religious centers. #JCC.”

The President himself briefly addressed the most recent wave of attacks in an appearance this morning at the National African-American Museum. Before that, Trump was most recently asked about the increase in anti-Semitic feelings and attacks since the election last week during a press conference. Here’s what he said the:

Trump had previously drawn criticism for failing to mention the Jewish people in his remembrance of the Holocaust.

This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2017.