‘The antisemitism is real’: Durham synagogue cleared after hoax bomb threat
The Jewish Community Campus in Durham was evacuated and law enforcement swept the complex of buildings after a bomb threat was received on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities determined the threat to be a hoax and declared the Jewish campus safe after 3 p.m.
Durham police responded just before noon to the Judea Reform Congregation at 1933 W. Cornwallis Road after leaders the Jewish center received an email claiming that multiple bombs had been placed on the property.
Police searched through the buildings, and the K-9 unit of the Durham County Sheriff’s Office sent a bomb-sniffing dog to search the complex.
“The antisemitism is real,” said Matt Soffer, a senior rabbi at the congregation, in an interview with The News & Observer. “It doesn’t feel like a sufficient number of people understand it.”
Soffer and Emily Young, the synagogue’s executive director, received the email threats themselves and contacted police.
“We were really comforted by what an outstanding job everyone — from law enforcement, to the teachers of the campus, staff and leadership — that they all did,” said Soffer. “We’re just grateful that it was nothing and that we can move forward with the assurance that we can keep ourselves safe if we need to.”
The threat led to the evacuation of The Lerner School, the Judea Reform Congregation and the Jewish Community Center. All of the students were picked up at the school.
The campus was prepared for the threat, Soffer said, because there are high volumes of people at synagogues during the High Holiday season of Rosh Hoshanah, which started Sept. 15, and Yom Kippur.
All buildings were closed for the rest of the day, according to officials at the campus.
Recent rise in antisemitic incidents
The synagogue’s senior rabbi attributes the rise in antisemitism to the current political climate.
“The politics of hate is very popular right now and it’s tragic how electable group-based vitriol can be,” Soffer said.
This isn’t the first time the Triangle has encountered public displays of antisemitism.
In early August, antisemitic flyers were left outside several Raleigh homes on driveways with links to an online group of antisemitic provocateurs. It was a similar situation the previous August in a Raleigh neighborhood where a rabbi lived.
Since July 21, 71 threats have been reported against Jewish institutions in 14 different states, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The Anti-Defamation League reported that 2022 had the record number of documented antisemitic attacks and threats in U.S. history.
There were 91 bomb threats against Jewish institutions last year, the highest recorded since 2017.
A recent string of fake bomb threats and acts known as swatting — targeting a place with a strong law enforcement response like a SWAT team by reporting a false crime or emergency — were made against several U.S. synagogues in August, according to the ADL.
“We need to address hatred whenever and wherever its rears its ugly head, whether it’s against Jews, or Muslim or people of color, or women or LGBT communities,” said Soffer. “We’re all in this and we all need to stand up for each others dignity.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2023 at 7:48 PM with the headline "‘The antisemitism is real’: Durham synagogue cleared after hoax bomb threat."
