President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning denounced the latest anti-Semitic threats against Jewish centers across the country.
Trump called the threats “horrible and painful.”
The threats against JCCs are a “very sad reminder” of the work to be done in the country,” Trump said.
Trump made the remarks after touring the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture. He said it was a “meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all forms.”
On Monday, White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters released the following statement:
“Hatred and hate-motivated violence of any kind have no place in a country founded on the promise of individual freedom. The President has made it abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable.”
Eleven bomb threats were reported by various centers on Monday alone, according to the JCC Association of North America.
David Posner, the director of strategic performance of the JCC Association of North America, said community centers across the US and Canada have received 69 threats at 54 centers since January. The organization is working with law enforcement and the FBI to investigate the threats.
“While we are relieved that all such threats have proven to be hoaxes and that not a single person was harmed, we are concerned about the anti-Semitism behind these threats, and the repetition of threats intended to interfere with day-to-day life,” Posner said in a statement. “Local JCCs serve not just the Jewish community, but the entire community. Participants from all different backgrounds come to their local JCCs for activities, Jewish cultural and religious programming, and opportunities to come together as a community.”
