WarSclerotic

Bomb threats have been phoned in to over 25 Jewish community centers and schools in 16 states across the U.S. Monday afternoon, the JCC Association of North America said.

This was the fifth wave of such threats against Jewish targets. Jewish community centers and schools in Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington, had all received threats Monday, the JCC said.

Local authorities and the FBI are investigating the threats, which included prerecorded calls using voice disguising technology. No explosives were found in any of the threatened locations.

U.S. President Donald Trump “continues to be deeply disappointed and concerned by reports of further vandalism at Jewish cemeteries,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told reporters in his daily briefing on Monday, reiterating the administration’s condemnation of the recent wave of anti-Semitic incidents across the U.S.

“The cowardly destruction in Philadelphia this weekend comes on top of similar accounts from Missouri and threats made to Jewish community centers around the country,” Spicer said. “The president continues to condemn these and any other forms of anti-Semitic and hateful acts in the strongest terms. No one in America should feel afraid to follow the religion of their choosing freely and openly. The president is dedicated to preserving this originating principle of our nation,” he said.

Philadelphia was the scene of a suspected anti-Semitic attack on a Jewish cemetery on Sunday, where over 500 tombstones were knocked over or damaged. Last week, dozens of headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City, Missouri, were toppled and broken.

The Anti-Defamation League issued a security advisory to Jewish institutions across the U.S. on Monday, saying some 90 bomb threats have been made against Jewish institutions since the beginning of 2017.

“While this latest round of bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers and day schools across the country again appears to not be credible, we are nonetheless urging all Jewish institutions to review their procedures,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.

“Since the start of 2017, we have witnessed nearly 90 bomb threats being called into Jewish institutions — including one recently to ADL’s national headquarters. We are taking this very seriously and will continue to work intimately with federal and local law enforcement — in addition to our community partners across the country — as they cope during this difficult time,” he said.

David Posner, director of strategic performance at the JCC Association of North America, said in a statement that “anti-Semitism of this nature should not and must not be allowed to endure in our communities.

“The Justice Department, Homeland Security, the FBI, and the White House, alongside Congress and local officials, must speak out — and speak out forcefully — against this scourge of anti-Semitism impacting communities across the country. Actions speak louder than words. Members of our community must see swift and concerted action from federal officials to identify and capture the perpetrator or perpetrators who are trying to instill anxiety and fear in our communities,” he said.

Meanwhile, a recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll has found that most Americans believed the media is overly critical of Trump.

According to the poll, 51% of Americans think media coverage of Trump and his new administration is too harsh; 53% think the media is overstating the Trump administration’s difficulties because they “feel uncomfortable” or “threatened” by the change he represents; and 41% said they believe Trump is receiving “fair and balanced” media coverage.