Jewish Federation of Manatee-Sarasota increasing security

In the wake of phone-in bomb threats to Jewish community centers across the nation and in Canada, The Jewish Federation of Manatee-Sarasota is increasing security measures at its campus in Sarasota.

At Temple Emanu El in Sarasota, an employee said that the synagogue is working with the Jewish Federation of Manatee-Sarasota and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department to bolster security.

Calls to other synagogues in the area were not immediately returned.

“I can tell you that, yes, we are increasing the level of security as a precaution,” Kim Mullins, a Jewish Federation of Manatee-Sarasota spokeswoman, said Thursday. “Mainly, we are just being more aware in light of what has happened around the country. We are taking steps to make sure our facilities are as safe as they can be.”

Mullins declined to go into specifics about the security upgrades.

Although the Jewish Federation of Manatee-Sarasota has not had a phone-in bomb threat, about five months ago anti-Semitic graffiti was painted on the campus, Mullins said.

“We have some measures in place,” Mullins said. “We don’t want to take anything for granted.”

The Jewish Community Center Association of North America, whose role involves advising local JCCs on security, announced that 11 Jewish community centers received phone-in bomb threats on Monday, all of which were determined to be hoaxes.

This comes in the aftermath of three waves of bomb threats on Jan. 9, Jan. 18 and Jan. 31 resulting in 68 incidents at 53 JCCs in 26 states and one Canadian province, according to David Posner with the JCC Association of North America.

Posner said that strong relationships between the JCCs and local law enforcement is the key to staying on top of the situation.

Mullin said that while Sarasota and Manatee synagogues have not been targeted with phone-in bomb threats, that’s little comfort when many sister organizations are being hit.

“While it hasn’t impacted us directly in Sarasota, there have been instances in Florida,” Mullins said.

This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Jewish Federation of Manatee-Sarasota increasing security."