Three New York synagogues, Brooklyn Museum targeted in bomb threats
False alarm

WORLD  05 May 2024 - 13:21

Three New York City synagogues and The Brooklyn Museum received false bomb threats on Saturday, according to police.

The Upper West Side’s Congregation Rodeph Sholom, located at 7 W. 83rd Street near Central Park, was evacuated after police received a report of a bomb threat around 3:15 p.m., according to New York Post.

Police confirmed that the threat was unfounded.

Another threat — which was also determined to be false — was reported at  the progressive, LGBTQ-friendly Congregation Beit Simchat Torah at 130 W. 30th Street.

Nobody was inside that synagogue at the time and the threat was also determined to be false, police said.

Then, at 5:15 p.m., The Brooklyn Heights Synagogue on Remsen Street also received a bomb threat.

Three employees were evacuated and no explosives were found, cops said.

Another bomb threat was reported 15 minutes later at the Brooklyn Museum, an art museum in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

Again, the threat was found to false, according to police.

It’s unclear if the threats are connected at this time and they remain under investigation, police said.

Earlier police reports that the Chabad of Midtown had also gotten a threat later proved to be unfounded.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that her office is aware of the threats and is “actively monitoring” the situation with law enforcement.

“Threats have been determined not to be credible, but we will not tolerate individuals sowing fear & antisemitism,” she said. “Those responsible must be held accountable for their despicable actions.”

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council [JCRC] of New York, told The Post that the bomb threats are a “dangerous escalation” of antisemitism during a particularly sensitive and tense time for Jewish people in the city.

“This is not peaceful, this is not lawful and this is not normal and this is happening on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day,” Treyger, the grandson on Holocaust survivors, said. “This is a dangerous escalation of what we’ve already been seeing in the rest of the country.”

There is “zero room for hate in New York City and those responsible must be held accountable. Full stop,” he said.

The Big Apple’s Jewish community has been on edge since October 7 when Israel was attacked by Hamas terrorists, prompting the country to respond with its ongoing military offensive in Gaza.

Israel’s retaliation has sparked nearly incessant protests across the city and country, some of which have descended into violence.

NYPD data shows that antisemitic hate crimes skyrocketed 45% in 2024.

“This is not isolated from the bigger, hostile climate right now against Jewish people,” Treyger said of Saturday’s bomb threats.

While he thanked the governor, mayor and the NYPD for remaining in constant communication with faith leaders, he said the level of security they’ve endured to practice their faith safely is “not normal.”

“We cannot normalize that in New York City in the year 2024 … we will never accept this as normal in New York, in the United States of America,” Treyger said.

Caliber.Az