Public Statement, March 24, 2017

Yesterday, an 18-year-old man, with dual Israel-U.S. citizenship, was arrested in Israel as the primary suspect for the majority of bomb threats called and e-mailed into Jewish Community Centers and other Jewish institutions in 40 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces. The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond and its Jewish Community Relations Committee express gratitude to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Israel National Police and all of the involved law enforcement agencies.

We sincerely thank our local community partners. Through our “Standing Together” events we have shown shared solidarity during the past challenging months. We reiterate our commitment to standing with the greater Richmond community and redoubling our effort to eradicate all forms of racism and anti-Semitism.

We acknowledge the extraordinary and ongoing efforts by our local law enforcement partners. The FBI Richmond Division, the local Protective Service Advisor of the Department of Homeland Security, and our partners in the Virginia State Police, and the police departments of Richmond City, Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield counties and Virginia Commonwealth University have invested innumerable hours securing our community during a time with a complex and shifting threat matrix. We express our deepest gratitude to them.

Finally, as we continue our mission of strengthening the Jewish community and our society, per the guidance of the FBI (prior to and since the arrest) we will continue to sustain, “our current state of vigilance for suspicious behavior,” and we will maintain our efforts to counter anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred. Regrettably, these bomb threats are not the only threats to our community. We continue to advise all of our agencies, synagogues and community partners to be vigilant.

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