March 8, 2022
Dear JCC Members,
Today, the Katz Jewish Community Center, an agency of Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, received a bomb threat. The building was safely evacuated and searched by law enforcement.
The JCC will reopen at 5pm for Fitness & Wellness use, will remain open until 10pm and we expect to be open at our usual time of 5am tomorrow. All of today's afternoon and evening programs and classes, including the Just4Kids after-school program, JSplash swim lessons and swim team have been canceled for today.
We want to thank the Cherry Hill Police department along with other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies that responded to this threat instantly. With their assistance today and recent training, we immediately implemented our security protocols and were able to evacuate the facility in an orderly fashion ensuring the safety of all our members and staff.
Thank you to those of you, our members, who were here during this time and were extremely cooperative, as well as to our JCC and Federation agencies staff who provided great assistance while evacuating. All the children in our Sari Isdaner Early Childhood Center were safely escorted to one of the JCC’s evacuation sites.
Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes, including the county K-9 unit. The safety and security of our children and other members are our primary concerns. We deplore hatred and violence in any form, as we continue to remain vigilant.
Jennifer Dubrow Weiss, CEO of Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, issued the following statement: “The Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey and its family of agencies have made safety a top priority. Our centers have in place security protocols to ensure the safety of their program participants, facility visitors, and all staff. I am very proud of the response and professionalism displayed during this occurrence under the direction of Regional Director of Security William “Bud” Monaghan and Sean Redmond Safety and Security Manager.
While we are relieved that this threat was unfounded, we are concerned about the antisemitism behind these threats, and the repetition of threats intended to interfere with day-to-day life. Our Jewish Federation and family of agencies serve not just the Jewish community, but the entire community. Participants from all different backgrounds visit to use our facilities, received social services, take part in cultural and religious programming, and for the opportunity to come together as a community.”
Thank you for your support of our JCC.
