More than 50 synagogues across the state of Florida were forced to evacuate their premises on Tuesday after all of them received bomb threats via email.
The threats were sent to Jewish houses of worship in Miami, Broward County, Palm Beach County and elsewhere, but were swiftly determined to be harmless after police bomb squad sweeps and evacuations that worried synagogue staff, campers and their parents.
It’s not the first round of antisemitic hate faced by Florida synagogues. A cyber attack by the Team System DZ hacker group on a Plantation synagogue last September filled the homepage of Temple Kol Ami Emanuel’s website with hateful messages. The FBI is investigating.
Paul Morris, 26, was arrested Tuesday in Boca Raton (Palm Beach County) on accusations of posting threats on social media. He is charged with writing threats of mass shootings or terrorism. It’s not clear, however, whether he has any connection with the serial bomb threats, or is suspected of other antisemitic hate crimes online.
It’s also not the first round of antisemitic hate faced by Florida’s individual Jewish residents.
Miami Kosher Bagel Shop Vandalized for the 4th Time
Earlier this week, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Federal Judge Roy Altman were busy helping others clean red paint and graffiti off the windows of a downtown kosher bagel shop in the city. An antisemitic goon had spray painted “FREE PALESTINE” and “STOP THE GENOCIDE” across the doors and windows of the popular Holy Bagels downtown kosher restaurant in the city.
That establishment and a second bagel shop in Miami Beach owned by Josh Nodel have been attacked several times since Hamas terrorists in Gaza launched a vicious war against Israel on October 7, 2023.
“We have allocated tens of millions to combat rising anti-Semitism,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “If anyone attempts to bring it here, they’ll face significant resistance.”
Rabbi Josh Broide of the Boca Raton Synagogue said, “Everyone should care.” Broide warned that hatred that starts in the Jewish community “overflows and becomes a problem for everyone,” Local 10 News reported.
“We had to evacuate the campus earlier today under the direction of law enforcement in conjunction with our Executive Director and Temple security team. We want to assure you that everyone is safe,” Temple Judea executive director Sharon Israel Moskowitz said in Coral Gables.
