Jewish community centers across the country have been targeted with bomb threats with at least 13 such facilities being evacuated Tuesday.
It was the third time in January that various community centers in different parts of the country were the subject of bomb threats, NBC News reported. The Anti-Defamation League is working with law enforcement and Jewish groups in response to the threats, Elise Jarvis, associate director of law enforcement outreach and communal security at the Anti-Defamation League, told the network.
USA Today reported that community centers in Albany, New York; Boulder, Colorado; White Fish Bay, Wisconsin; and La Jolla, California were among those evacuated. The newspaper said centers in 10 states plus a Canadian province received threats, per the JCC Association of North America.
"Unfortunately, threats like this are nothing new for the Jewish community," Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement Tuesday. "Still, it is vitally important to take these threats seriously and to ensure that every institution is prepared to respond to this type of security emergency. That is why we are partnering with the FBI, local institutions and law enforcement to ensure that all of our community institutions are safe and secure."
Jarvis told NBC News that the Anti-Defamation League recently held a joint security briefing with the FBI and nearly 700 representatives from Jewish institutions across the country in response to the threats.
"The FBI and the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division are investigating possible civil rights violations in connection with threats to Jewish Community Centers across the country," the FBI said, per NBC News. "The FBI will collect all available facts and evidence, and will ensure this matter is investigated in a fair, thorough, and impartial manner. As this matter is ongoing, we are not able to comment further at this time."
David Posner, director of strategic performance at JCC Association of North America, said in a statement that most of the centers Tuesday quickly received an all-clear after safety protocols were followed.
"Safety is our top priority," Posner said in his statement. "… We are concerned about the anti-Semitism behind these threats. All threats from the previous two dates have been determined to be hoaxes. The FBI is actively investigating the source or sources of these calls."