NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – False calls to police and bomb threats to Jewish communities kept officers nationwide busy for over 24 hours, including Metro Nashville Police.
This weekend, a group called the Security Community Network tracked nearly 200 cases of anti-Semitic threats.
Rabbi Dan Horwitz, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, is just one of many in the Jewish community to receive a violent, hate-filled email about Jewish people. The email also included a bomb threat to Congregation Micah, a synagogue south of downtown Nashville.
The Metro Nashville Police Department and the Secure Community Network were alerted. Officers searched the building and confirmed there was no bomb.
The Nashville threats are one of many in a national trend to harass and intimidate American Jews.
“It was distressing to receive threats in the way that we did, and quickly saw on the email because it was sent to multiple organizations that we as the federation were certainly not alone, that it was a community-wide blanketing effort of psychological terror,” Horwitz said.
Since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the Security Community Network has seen a 290% increase in anti-Semitic incidents involving vandalism, harassment, and assault as compared to last year.
In a monthly community crime meeting for West Nashville, a commander with Metro police said they will have extra patrol and “sky cops” at all Jewish facilities in the Bellevue area as a precaution.
“This is a type of psychological warfare where folks are trying to make Jewish people feel unsafe in their homes as Americans, which is obviously completely unacceptable,” Horwitz said.
MNPD and the FBI are working together to keep everyone safe and uncover the source of these emails.
If you have any information, you are asked to call Metro police at 615-862-8600.