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American Jewish community centres threatened again

Jewish community centres and organisations in America have received around 150 hoax bomb threats since the beginning of the year.

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Three further bomb threats were received by US Jewish institutions early on Wednesday morning, with community centres in Atlanta, Georgia, St Louis, Missouri and Boulder, Colorado targeted this time around.

At least two of the threats came via email, with the Atlanta JCC not confirming how had received the latest message. All three of these centres have been targeted previously by hoax callers warning of a bomb.

Around 150 threats have been made against JCC’s and other Jewish organisations since the beginning of 2017, leading to regular evacuations. No bombs have been found, despite the wave of malevolent calls and emails.

In the wake of the latest threat, the Atlanta JCC released a statement saying that “the safety and security of our members, staff, and guests is always our top priority.

“We will not let this threat deter us from our mission and the responsibility we have to be the safe, welcoming, inclusive, and diverse communal town square for the generations of Atlantans who have relied on us.”

In St Louis, Lynn Wittels, president and CEO of the JCC, sent out an email thanking the “police, canine unit and FBI for their attention and guidance”, according to the St Louis Jewish Light.  

“With their help, the help of our staff and the cooperation of everyone in our buildings, we were able to operate without interruption this morning while a thorough search was conducted.

“The continued threats to JCCs across the country is disheartening, but we take solace in the fact that they have all, nationwide, been hoaxes, and that no one has been hurt."

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