Toledo, OH – Two area synagogues received bomb threats Tuesday morning, Jewish leaders said in a statement.
Police deemed the threats to Congregation B’nai Israel and Temple Shomer Emunim not credible, according to a statement from the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Greater Toledo. Authorities searched inside and outside of both buildings after the email threats came in. The organization said other synagogues in the state received the same email threat Tuesday morning.
Police and the FBI are working to figure out who is responsible for the antisemitic threats, which have happened nationwide in various swatting incidents. Swatting refers to false threat reports made in an effort to cause disruptions and illicit a police response. There was another bomb threat sent to Congregation B’nai Israel just earlier this month.
The organization is reminding the public to remain vigilant and asks anyone who notices suspicious activity or antisemitic actions to report it.
“These bomb threats are not isolated incidents,” the organization said in a statement. “The Jewish community is experiencing record levels of antisemitism nationwide, in part from the Israel-Hamas war emboldening antisemites here in Toledo and across the United States.”
Earlier today, an area hospital system also appeared to be the target of a swatting incident, with a false bomb threat emailed to a Wauseon hospital.
