Wiesenthal Center Welcomes Arrest in JCC Threats

March 3, 2017

The Simon Wiesenthal Center welcomed the arrest today of a suspect accused of making some of the threats against Jewish Community Centers and institutions across the US.

Mark Weitzman, the SWC’s Director of Government Affairs said, “We commend the efforts of the FBI and other law enforcement agencies who have been working on these threats. This arrest sends a strong and reassuring message to the Jewish community and to all Americans that there is no room for violent hate in our society. It also sends a message to those responsible for the other threats that they cannot hide behind their electronic masks forever and will be ultimately be held responsible for their threats.’

Weitzman added, “We also want to thank all the Muslims, Christians and members of other religious communities, as well as those who do not belong to any religious community, who have made meaningful efforts to stand in solidarity with the targeted Jewish institutions. Their actions were a vivid symbol of what unites America and the strength that grows out of our diversity.”

Weitzman concluded by stating, “This arrest is hopefully the first step in successfully ending this series of threats. Once again it reminds us that the threats that we face come from 'lone wolves' as well as organized groups and from all the violent extremes of society. We hope that law enforcement will continue to take these threats seriously, and together with our political leaders create a coordinated response for future incidents.”

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).