SAN DIEGO–A La Jolla Jewish community center Monday was forced to evacuate after receiving a bomb threat, according to San Diego police.
The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center received the threat just after 4 p.m., authorities say. Everyone at the center were evacuated and sent to La Jolla Country Day School.
Authorities searched the facility for bomb devices, but none were found. The facility later was cleared for re-entry.
A wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centers have increased over the last four weeks. Dozens of Jewish cemeteries have been vandalized across the nation by unknown individuals.
The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center released a statement:
“The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center received a bomb threat similar to the ones we received in the past. Like those initial threats, and the ones that have been made to JCCs throughout the country over the last four weeks, law enforcement quickly determined the threat to be a non-credible hoax.
Under an abundance of caution, we followed our practiced emergency procedures, and safely evacuated our facility. By 6:20 PM, San Diego Police had concluded its onsite review and the JCC fully reopened to the community by 6:30PM.
Without minimizing the impact or intent of these phone calls – it’s important to remember that the JCC is uniquely prepared to offer a safe and values-driven environment for all those who seek to live a healthy life: physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. It is the very nature of who we are, and the great diversity of those we serve, that draws attention to our work and our mission.
As a JCC, we are part of a national Secure Community Network (SCN) – an affiliate of the Jewish Federations of North America that monitors, advises, and supports the safety and security of Jewish Institutions. In response to these recent threats across the country, we have been working closely with our local police department and national security agencies to monitor the situation and review our protocols. We have been continually briefed by SCN, ADL (Anti-Defamation League), and the JCC Association to help us understand the circumstances and support our safety and security efforts.
The entire Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center’s leadership team and staff continues to work together, practice safety protocols and are prepared to respond to this type of incidents with the support of local law enforcement, including our adjacent neighbors, the San Diego Police Department Northern Division.
While these threats are being investigated, we continue to take numerous security measures to ensure the safety of our members and guests.”
Local and federal authorities are continuing their investigation.
