Swath of New York Synagogues Hit by False Bomb Threats in Apparent Swatting Campaign

More than a dozen synagogues throughout New York State reportedly received bomb threats Friday morning, and at least one source within the NYPD tells The Messenger police are investigating the menacing messages.

New York Jewish Week broke the news about Friday's false threats, targeting five synagogues in Manhattan.

Two others in Brooklyn received the same threat, as did a synagogue on Long Island and two others in suburban Westchester County. Another five synagogues across New York's upstate region received the threats as well.

New York Jewish Week said the threats were largely sent through each specific synagogue's websites' contact forms. Others came in via email.

One of the emails claimed there were "multiple explosives inside the synagogue," and boasted that the "explosives will go off in a few hours and I will make history. I will make sure you all die."

NYPD officers responded Friday morning to synagogues in Washington Heights and on the Upper West Side, The Messenger's sources confirmed. Synagogues on the Upper East Side and in Inwood also received threats.

It is believed the threats were intended to disrupt synagogue operations and Shabbat services, as police would be sent to those locations to investigate, explained Mitch Silber, director of the Community Security Initiative, which monitors antisemitic acts and threats in New York.

Silber said there was no actual danger to the targets. "None of them have been real," Silber said of the threats. "They're really just to disrupt, to intimidate."

Last month, synagogues in nearby Connecticut were on the receiving end of similar threatening messages. Over the summer, a series of fake bomb threats was called in to two dozen synagogues nationwide over a month-long period.

Friday's threats come as cities like New York are seeing a rise in antisemitism in the wake of Israel's response to the Oct. 7 terror attacks carried out by Hamas.

With a month left to go, 2023 has seen over 230 antisemitic incidents reported to the NYPD.

Additional information on the other synagogues singled out on Friday was unavailable.