In a show of bipartisan unity, all 100 members of the U.S. Senate signed a letter Tuesday to high-ranking officials in the Trump administration, urging them to address the increasing number of bomb threats against Jewish schools and organizations in recent weeks.
The effort was led by senators from both parties including Gary Peters, Rob Portman, Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio and was addressed to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, FBI Director James Comey, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. It comes a day after another round of bomb threats against Jewish community centers and the Anti-Defamation League.
“We write to underscore the need for swift action with regard to the deeply troubling series of anonymous bomb threats made against Jewish Community Centers (JCCs), Jewish Day Schools, Synagogues and other buildings affiliated with Jewish organizations or institutions across the country,” the letter says. “We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities.”
There have been at least 98 threats against Jewish community centers and schools in 33 states in 2017, according to the JCC Association of North America — a stat the senators noted in their letter.
The letter also calls on the Trump administration to to work with Jewish community centers around the country to determine what assistance is needed for enhanced security as well as investigate and prosecute those making the threats.
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