A Jewish cultural center in Midtown Atlanta was swept by police and K-9 officers Wednesday after a bomb threat forced evacuations, authorities said.
Police responded to the Breman Museum and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta at 1440 Spring Street at around 3 p.m. after officials said the threat was called in. Spring Street was closed for more than two hours between 19th and 17th streets as they investigated, but no evidence of an explosive was found.
The facilities were evacuated and the Jewish Federation said the neighboring Center for Puppetry Arts opened its doors for all staff, tenants and visitors who had to quickly leave the buildings. A spokesperson for the museum confirmed the threat and said, “We are all safe.”
The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy organization that tracks antisemitic incidents, said there have been at least 26 fake threats aimed at synagogues in 12 states across the country in the last month. Antisemitic incidents in the United States last year reached the highest level since 1979, when the Anti-Defamation League began keeping track.
It was not clear if the Atlanta incident was connected to the other incidents, many of which targeted synagogues that were livestreaming their services at the time of the hoax calls to police.
Atlanta police, MARTA police and K-9 units found no “hazardous or dangerous materials” at the Midtown cultural center, authorities said. The Temple, a nearby synagogue on Peachtree Street, was also searched by police dogs “out of an abundance of caution,” the police department stated.
The Breman Museum is dedicated to showcasing Jewish history, culture and arts with an emphasis on Georgia and the Holocaust. The Jewish Federation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting and enhancing the well-being of Jews around the world.
“Keeping our staff and tenants safe was the No. 1 priority, and we are grateful that all of our protocols were in place,” the federation said. “We are immensely appreciative of the Atlanta Police Department and MARTA police who sent their squads to our facility and conducted all necessary thorough checks to ensure our safety and provide us with the all-clear.”
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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