Antisemitic Threats At Owings Mills Jewish Center Sparked Evacuation

OWINGS MILLS, MD — An online threat that was later deemed non-credible prompted the evacuation of the Rosenbloom Owings Mills Jewish Community Center over the weekend, officials said in a letter to the community on Monday.

The evacuation occurred Saturday at the campus in Owings Mills, following an antisemitic bomb threat received via email, according to leaders of the Jewish Community Center (JCC).

"In consultation with the [Baltimore] County Police, the decision was made to evacuate the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC so that they could do a full sweep of the facility in partnership with our on-site security team," CEO Barak Hermann and board chair Laura Rubenstein said in a statement.

"After two hours, nothing credible was found, and the Owings Mills campus was reopened," Hermann and Rubenstein reported. Even though it is usually closed on Saturdays, the Park Heights campus was also searched and found to be secure, officials said.

This was not the first time the center was evacuated for an investigation. In 2017, the Owings Mills JCC received what authorities later said was a hoax threat linked to a slew of threats to Jewish community centers nationwide. That year it also received an email threat.

Over the weekend, the JCC personnel noted, there were incidents "rooted in hate and racism" across the country:

• On Saturday, 10 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., in what is being investigated as a hate crime. Officials said 13 people were shot, including 11 who were Black.
• On Sunday, one was killed and five others injured in a church shooting in Laguna County, Calif.

"We are saddened that situations like these continue to occur," leaders of the JCC said, thanking the Associated for enabling the organization to have security officers at its campuses. " This is a good time to remind everyone that if you see something, please say something. Please alert JCC security in both lobbies or a staff member if you see anything suspicious, including unattended bags, in and around our buildings. "

See Also:

• Bomb Threat At Owings Mills Jewish Community Center Apparent 'Hoax': CEO
• Churchgoers Hogtie Gunman Who Killed 1 And Wounded 5 In California
• Buffalo Shooting Victims Include Heroic Security Guard, Local Deacon
• Bomb Threat Heightens Security At JCC Of Greater Baltimore

Here is the letter issued Monday, May 16:

Dear JCC Friends,

 This past Saturday morning, the JCC received an antisemitic email bomb threat. The JCC in St Louis also received a similar one and both threats were received via website forms and were consistent in language with those at other JCCs in the last several months. Each were deemed by law enforcement to be non-credible.

 Our leadership team were immediately in touch with our security consultants and local law enforcement of Baltimore County and City who quickly came on site at both our Owings Mills and Park Heights campuses and followed the recommended protocols.

 In consultation with the County Police, the decision was made to evacuate the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC so that they could do a full sweep of the facility in partnership with our on-site security team. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation. After two hours, nothing credible was found, and the Owings Mills campus was reopened. The Park Heights campus was also cleared, though it is normally closed on Saturdays.

 This past weekend our country again saw mass threats and killings at a supermarket in upstate New York, a flea market in Texas, and a church in California, to sadly just name a few. These tragic mass killings are rooted in hate and racism and resulted in innocent lives being lost and hurt and families and communities tragically impacted. The threat we and other JCCs have received are full of antisemitic language and causes frustration and anxiety.

We are saddened that situations like these continue to occur. We take the security of our JCC campuses very seriously and are grateful for the tremendous financial support we receive from the Associated’s Annual Campaign to be able to have full time security personnel at both campuses.

 This is a good time to remind everyone that if you see something, please say something. Please alert JCC security in both lobbies or a staff member if you see anything suspicious, including unattended bags, in and around our buildings. 

 If you have any questions, please reach out to Paul Lurie, Chief Operating Office or someone from our membership team. Our appreciation to our amazing staff for their continued professionalism managing these unfortunate situations.

 We will continue to focus our work at the JCC on building a safe, welcoming, and inclusive community for everyone. 

Sincerely,

Barak Hermann, CEO Laura Rubenstein, Board Chair