'Kids Targeted Because They're Jewish': Parent After 2nd Bomb Threat At School
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) -- Fear and frustration were on display at the David Posnack Jewish Day School Tuesday after their second bomb threat within eight days.
"It's unfortunate that the kids are becoming victims," said Maggie Fischer whose children attend the David Posnack Day School.
Davie Police responded and searched the grounds at 5810 S Pine Island Road around 10 a.m. after getting a call with a non-specific threat. A text went out to parents around 10:30 a.m.
Investigators said the person who called in the threat disguised their voice and did have an interaction with the person at the school who answered the phone.
"We do have communications with the FBI and we're working closely with them to put an end to these," said Captain Dale Engle with the Davie Police Department.
About two hours later, they gave the all-clear saying they did not find anything and the students returned to school.
Earlier, authorities evacuated the school out of precaution. Chopper4 was over the scene where you could see students walking out the school in a single file line.
Cooper City officials were asking parents not to go to the school during the investigation.
The Jewish Community Center (JCC) nearby was briefly put on lockdown.
The northbound lanes on Pine Island Road were shutdown at Stirling Road during the investigation and later reopened.
Back on February 27th, the school and JCC were also evacuated over a bomb threat forcing dozens of children and staff to leave the school for the day. There was a meticulous search that found no bomb in the February incident.
This has been a pattern across the country and across Florida since the beginning of this year and parents are frustrated and rightfully upset.
"All of a sudden, it's escalated. Kids are being targeted simply because they are Jewish and that's the only reason," said Fischer. "In this day in age, this shouldn't be happening."
Dr. Sigal Perl grew up in Israel, living under the constant fear of attack. She fears that her son who turned 13 on Tuesday is living with the same anxiety due to escalating bomb threats against Jewish schools and facilities.
"Last week, he was scared to go back to school. He said I'm afraid to go back to school so it's a lot of emotion that the kids have to go through," said Perl.
There were other threats made Tuesday at other JCC's and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) offices across the U.S. including in Maryland, Milwaukee and upstate New York.
More than 100 bomb threats have been made against Jewish institutions since the beginning of the year. White House Spokesperson Sean Spicer addressed the situation briefly on Tuesday.
"We're a country that stands together in condemning evil in all of its forms. We denounce these latest anti-semitic and hateful threats in all of its forms," said Spicer. "We'll continue to condemn them and look at ways at which we can stop them."
Tuesday morning, U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter urging the administration to take action in response to recent anonymous bomb threats made against JCCs, synagogues, and schools across the country.
The letter cosigned by all 100 senators was sent to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey. In the letter, the senators pressed the administration for swift action to deter such threats.
"These cowardly acts aim to create an atmosphere of fear and disrupt the important programs and services offered by JCCs to everyone in the communities they serve, including in our states," the Senators wrote. "We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities."
Last week, authorities arrested a man in connection to threats made to at least eight Jewish Community Centers (JCC) nationwide. While he was not tied to the threats against JCCs in South Florida, local leaders were encouraged even as they work to end antisemitism.
