JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida responded to bomb threats made to synagogues throughout the state of Florida last week.
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Most affected synagogues were in South Florida, but the Jewish Federation said that 4 St. Johns County synagogues were also threatened. However, they were all made aware of the unfounded threats before receiving them.
Two prominent synagogues in Hollywood, Florida, said they had more than 50 bomb threats sent to them by mail last Tuesday.
Authorities say antisemitic incidents increased dramatically since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 last year. The Anti-Defamation League said there were 463 antisemitic attacks in Florida in 2023.
Last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is providing more funding than ever for security to curb these incidents.
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You can read the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Northeast Florida’s full statement that was sent by CEO Mariam Feist to the community below:
“If you were not already aware, on June 17, 2024, multiple synagogues throughout Florida were emailed hoax bomb threats. Our Community Security Director, Alex Silverstein, was made aware of the threats by the Secure Community Network (SCN) Duty Desk, and that four of our synagogues here in Northeast Florida were among the intended recipients. Alex was able to contact those synagogues before they even received the emails. In conjunction with our local, state and Federal law enforcement partners, an assessment was quickly made of the potential threat, and it was determined these emailed threats had very low credibility. No hazardous devices were associated with these threats and no synagogue functions were disrupted. We are cooperating fully with our law enforcement partners in an effort to identify the person(s) responsible for these false emailed threats and, hopefully, bring them to justice. We are grateful to Sheriff Rob Hardwick and the men and women of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, who responded quickly and have initiated the investigation of this matter in the region.
The safety and security of the Jewish community here in Northeast Florida continues to be one of the top priorities for the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida. We are constantly in contact with our law enforcement partners and the SCN Duty Desk and we are monitoring the relevant intelligence. Situational Awareness Training, CPR certification, Stop The Bleed training, and physical threat assessments are available to the community at no cost. Contact Alex Silverstein at 904-224-1405 or at alexs@jewishjacksonville.org for more details.
Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law HB 187, which adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism as Florida’s official definition of antisemitism. The measure includes 11 examples of antisemitism that line up with its definition. They include “dehumanizing” stereotypes that Jews control industries and government, “demonizing” symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism such as blood libel, Holocaust denial, and double standards when criticizing Israel, the only Jewish-majority country. We at the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida celebrate this official action that demonstrates antisemitism will not be tolerated in this region and throughout the State of Florida.
Our Jewish Community Relations Council and its Director, Nelson France, works diligently with our elected officials to ensure the concerns of the Jewish community are brought to the forefront of their minds. Contact Nelson France at 904-224-1401 or at nelsonf@jewishjacksonville.org.”
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