FBI Identifies Source of Threats to NJ Synagogues

Facts

• The FBI on Friday said it identified the source of an alleged threat to New Jersey synagogues, and the person is no longer a danger. A man, who may have autism and reportedly spoke of anger toward Jewish people because he was bullied, told the FBI he wouldn’t hurt anyone because he wouldn’t want to get in trouble.
• This comes as, on Thursday, the FBI released a statement from its Newark office urging New Jersey synagogues to take extra security precautions after an online threat was discovered.
• Police across the region, in New Jersey and also Rockland County, Westchester County and New York City, boosted police patrols around Jewish houses of worship on Thursday night and increased visibility outside large synagogues.
• Gov. Phil Murphy stated that, “while this specific threat may be mitigated, we know this remains a tense time for our Jewish communities who are facing a wave of anti-Semitic activity. We will not be indifferent. We will remain vigilant."
• Antisemitic violence is not a new threat in New Jersey, where in 2019 two assailants murdered three people and a police officer in a kosher grocery market in Jersey City. Also, in 2012, two men firebombed two synagogues and allegedly attempted to murder a rabbi and his family with a Molotov cocktail.

Sources: NBC, ABC, CBS, and NPR Online News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Bloomberg. Antisemitism is on the rise, aided by comments from far-right politicians and celebrities like Ye and Kyrie Irving. Their words don't exist in a vacuum, and incidents of assault and harassment of Jews are also on the rise. When high-profile people are able to use antisemitic language without consequences, other people with similar beliefs are encouraged.
• Narrative B, as provided by Voa. While rising antisemitism is a concern, it's not the only form of hate crime that's spiked recently. Data shows that Blacks, Jews, sexual minorities and Latinos have all increasingly become the targets of bias-motivated attacks. More must be done to fight hate crimes across the board, especially in this hyper-polarized climate ahead of the midterms.