FBI investigating threatening letters sent to 3 Pittsburgh Jewish groups

The FBI and Pittsburgh police are investigating threatening letters sent by mail to three Jewish organizations in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, including the Tree of Life, since Friday.

Shawn Brokos, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s community security director, on Wednesday confirmed the existence of the threats.

Brokos said the earliest letter was received Friday and the most recent came Tuesday. All were sent by one individual, she said.

Brokos declined to name the other two organizations affected, saying she did not want to cause unnecessary alarm.

“I can’t rule out that the individual is not threatening, but I think at this time, the threat has been mitigated,” Brokos said. “At this time, there is no direct or indirect threat to the community.”

Each letter was brief, she said, declining to provide specifics.

“I won’t go into the context; it was just stating displeasure… with the Jewish community,” Brokos said.

Earlier this week, Tree of Life unveiled its updated and final design for a planned museum and institution dedicated to uprooting antisemitism at the site of the Oct. 27, 2018, attack on the Tree of Life synagogue.

The shooting killed 11 people across three congregations — Tree of Life, New Light and Dor Hadash. It is the deadliest antisemitic attack in the United States.

There’s been a rise in antisemitic conduct in the Pittsburgh area. Most recently, a Zanesville, Ohio man was ordered in late August to pay $48,000 in fines for throwing 160 antisemitic flyers out of a moving vehicle in Squirrel Hill in May.

Brokos said the FBI and local law enforcement are investigating the threatening letters.

Emily Bourne, a Pittsburgh police spokeswoman, said the bureau is aware of “several local synagogues having received letters that contain vague threats made against the Jewish community.”

Brokos said the federation’s security team is also monitoring the situation.

“While deeply disturbing, we want to assure our community that safety and security remain our top priority,” Brokos said. “Our federation’s security team continues to monitor the situation closely and is working to ensure that all Jewish institutions remain protected.”

There are no known specific threats at this time, she said.

“This is where our security team is at its best,” Brokos said. “We investigate this with the goal of mitigating it immediately, and I believe that’s exactly what’s happening now.”

As soon as the letters were discovered, all three organizations filed a police report, which can serve as evidence, according to Brokos.

While she’s not sure if the timing of the letters was intentional, she said it’s getting close to the Jewish High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah is later this month, and Yom Kippur is in October.

“That’s a time for joy and celebration, and this is a reminder to our community to stay alert, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Brokos said.

Threatening correspondence isn’t novel in the Jewish community, Brokos noted.

“It is not unusual for us to receive suspicious or concerning letters,” Brokos said. “Although most of them come digitally … I don’t think this is anything new to our community unfortunately.”