Three New York City synagogues and the Brooklyn Museum received false bomb threats on Saturday, police said.
The Upper West Side’s Rodeph Sholom congregation at 7 W. 83rd Street near Central Park was evacuated after police received a report of a bomb threat around 3:15 p.m.
Police confirmed the threat was unfounded.
Another threat (which also turned out to be false) was reported at Beit Simchat Torah, a progressive, LGBTQ-friendly congregation located at 130 W. 30th Street.
Police said no one was inside the synagogue at the time and the threat turned out to be false.
Then, at 5:15 p.m., a bomb threat was also received at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue on Remsen Street..
Police said three employees were evacuated, but no explosives were found.
Fifteen minutes later, another bomb threat was reported at the Brooklyn Museum, an art museum in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
Police say the threat also turned out to be false.
Police say it is unclear at this time whether the threats are related and the investigation remains ongoing.
Police previously said Chabad in Midtown had also received threats, but that was later determined to be unfounded.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated in a statement She said her office is aware of the threat and is “actively monitoring” the situation with law enforcement.
“While the threat has not been determined to be credible, we do not tolerate individuals who spread fear and anti-Semitism,” she said. “Those responsible must be held accountable for their despicable actions.”
Mark Trager, CEO Jewish Community Relations Council [JCRC] The New York resident told the Post that the bomb threat was a “dangerous escalation” of anti-Semitism at a particularly sensitive and tense time for the city’s Jews.
“This is not peaceful, this is not legal, this is not normal, and this is happening on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day,” said Traeger, the grandson of Holocaust survivors. “This is a dangerous escalation of what we are already seeing in other parts of the country.”
“Hate has no place 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 an ongoing military offensive in Gaza.
Israeli retaliation has sparked near-constant protests in cities and across the country, some of which have turned violent.
NYPD data shows anti-Semitic hate crimes 45% jump in 2024.
“This is not isolated from the larger current hostile atmosphere against Jews,” Trager said of Saturday’s bomb threat.
He thanked the governor, mayor and NYPD for staying in contact with faith leaders, but said the level of security he has endured to safely practice his faith is “unusual.”
“We cannot normalize this in New York City in 2024… We will never accept this as normal in New York or in the United States,” Trager said.
