Delaware Jewish community center receives fourth bomb threat

The Siegel Jewish Community Center in Wilmington received yet another bomb threat overnight.

New Castle County police officers were dispatched to the Siegel JCC Delaware in Talleyville at 7:45 a.m. in response to a threat that was emailed to the center, prompting an evacuation first thing Wednesday morning.

Public Information Officer Cpl. Tracey Duffy said the JCC has since been cleared and that no bomb was found. This marks the fourth threat to the Delaware center; the first three bomb threats were called in.

Executive Director Ivy Harlev said other Jewish centers nationwide were also emailed threats overnight, but couldn’t say specifically which centers or how many were affected. Jewish centers in dozens of states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, have been dealing with a wave of bomb threats as of late.

“It’s definitely frustrating, it’s annoying, but what it has done in terms of pulling the community together has been incredible. The Islamic Society of Delaware, churches, nonprofit organizations, businesses — they have all reached out and touched me in an incredible way,” Harlev said. 

Harlev emphasized the JCC is a safe and secure facility, adding her membership is both “resilient and defiant.”

“We have evolved security practices; we have incredible relations with our law enforcement and at the touch of a button we get so much support here,” Harlev said.

An arrest was made last week in connection to the national threats against Jewish community centers. There’s no word whether Juan Thompson, 31, can be connected to the threats made in Delaware.