Authorities are trying to determine if a bomb threat at a Jewish Community Center day care facility Tuesday morning near Lake Zurich is linked to similar calls made across the country, Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.
Police were called at 10:30 a.m. to the Elaine Frank JCC Apachi Day Camp at 23280 N. Old McHenry Road in unincorporated Lake Zurich after an employee received a bomb threat by telephone, according to a release.
Students at the camp were evacuated and taken to another location while the building was searched with the help of police dogs, Covelli said. Nothing suspicious was found and no injuries were reported.
"The bomb threat targeted students and staff at the center," he said. "There has been a number of bomb threats at JCCs nationwide, and we are working with federal law enforcement to see if it is related to the others."
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According to Paul Goldenberg, the director of Secure Community Networks — which advises Jewish groups and institutions on security, and is part of the Jewish Federations of North America — there were 17 threats to JCCs on Tuesday morning, including the camp in Lake Zurich, as well as similar facilities in Albany and Syracuse, N.Y., West Orange, N.J., Milwaukee, San Diego and Salt Lake City.
"We are aware of it," he said of the Lake Zurich JCC camp bomb threat. "We’re tracking them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t more."
Goldenberg said there were similar waves of bomb threats on Jan. 18, when some 30 Jewish institutions in at least 17 states were targeted, and on Jan. 9, when threats were called into 16 JCCs across the Northwest and South, forcing the evacuation of hundreds.
"This is a live person telling people, or describing what kind of bomb or devices have been hidden," he said.
Goldenberg said in the first two waves, some of the threats may have been delivered via "robo calls."
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"The Jewish community has been dealing with security for decades, and they remain safe institutions," he said. "American Jewish citizens are part of the fabric of the United States and these centers are open to everyone."
Addie Goodman, executive vice president of JCC Chicago, said this was the first of their 14 facilities to receive such a threat, "but we are aware of the others across the country."
"We’re happy to get the all clear and get the students and staff back on campus," she said, adding that she wanted to thank the local police for their quick response.
"We were able to get back in quickly and that is the good news of the day," Goodman said.
Goldenberg said there has been an uptick in the last couple of months in anti-Semitic and hate crimes against Jewish communities.
"There has been a tremendous amount of rhetoric," he said, when asked if last year’s presidential campaign and the rancor that followed are to blame for the increased volume of harassment.
"Some people have taken this as a opportunity to be more tolerant of this type of behavior, and that should be a concern for all of us," he said.
fabderholden@tribpub.com
Twitter @abderholden
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