More reaction to threats against Jewish Community Center

By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter

Monday, February 27, 2017, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley responded to the ongoing threats to Alabama’s Jewish community and authorizes the use of state resources.

Gov. Bentley said, “As the Governor of every person of Alabama, I will not tolerate targeted threats against any segment of the community. I have been briefed on the bomb threats at the Levite Jewish Community Center in Birmingham, and I have ordered the State Bureau of Investigation, a division with in the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to coordinate with local and federal law enforcement officials to provide investigative resources. I am deeply troubled for our families and communities that have been threatened and feel frightened. I can assure the people of our State that Alabama will not tolerate any threat, we will bring those responsible to justice and we will provide any resource necessary to protect every one of our citizens.”

“My February 28, 2017 Statement on Religious Bigotry.”

Jefferson County Commissioner David Carrington (R) wrote in his own statement: “Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” As a Jefferson County Commissioner, I cannot remain silent following the threats to the Levite Jewish Community Center. Our schools should be safe places for our children to learn. Our community centers should be safe places for people to gather. And, our houses of worship should remain sacred. Any gathering place – be it a school, a place of worship, or a community center – should never be targeted because of opposition to a particular faith, nationality or race. That’s not who we are.”

Commissioner Carrington continued, “The recent threats to the Levite Jewish Community Center are attacks on the American values that were so eloquently articulated by Thomas Jefferson in our nation’s Declaration of Independence: All of us were endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So, to those who fear for your safety – you are not alone. I and others stand with you to publicly condemn these acts of cowardice. In closing, I applaud Governor Robert Bentley for offering the state’s resources to assist in the identification and arrest of these religious bigots.”

On Tuesday, February 28, 2017, US Representative Terri A. Sewell (D-Selma) released her own statement, “I am deeply disturbed by the threats against Jewish community centers in Birmingham and nationwide. These hate crimes will not be tolerated. Many of my constituents still remember the 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that killed four young black girls. We cannot and will not let that kind of hate rock our community ever again. The families in my district reject anti-Semitism or discrimination against any religion or race, and we will call out and confront discrimination wherever it is present.”

On Thursday, February 23, Congresswoman Terri Sewell joined 157 members of Congress in a letter to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), urging the agencies to swiftly assess the recent threats against Jewish community centers and to advise Congress on any steps which it can take to help counter those threats.

Monday’s bomb threat at the Levite Jewish Community Center was the third bomb threat to the Community Center over the past month. There have been more than 60 incidents targeting Jewish community centers nationwide in 2017 alone. The previous bomb threats against Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center happened Jan. 18 and then again on Feb. 20.

On Tuesday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Birmingham announced that they are now searching for a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander, black in color, with a Jim Burke dealer paper plate in association with this case. The vehicle is believed to be in the Birmingham area. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or FBI Birmingham at (205) 326-6166.