by Phil Manzano

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The FBI has taken the lead in investigating what it has said were “several” suspicious letters containing unknown substances being sent to synagogues after incidents at two South Seattle synagogues over the weekend.

Seattle Police and Seattle Fire responded Friday, Nov. 3, to Sephardic Bikur Holim at 6500 52nd Ave. S. and nearby Congregation Ezra Bessaroth on Wilson Avenue South just before those congregations were gathering for Sabbath services. The substances were tested and posed no danger to the public.

As police and fire were investigating those two calls, they got a third report about a mailed suspicious package received in the 4700 block of 17th Avenue Northeast at approximately 6:30 p.m. There was no white powdery substance within the contents of this package, police said.

On Monday, Nov. 6, fire hazmat crews responded to Congregation Shaarei Tefilah-Lubavitch in the 6200 block of 43rd Avenue Northeast to investigate a possible hazardous substance and determined the substance was nonhazardous.

“Law enforcement and public safety officials are working to determine how many letters were sent, the individual(s) responsible for the letters, and the motive behind them,” the Seattle FBI said in a statement issued this past Monday. “As this is an ongoing matter, we will not be commenting further regarding our steps or methods, but the public can be assured that law enforcement will continue to keep the public’s safety as its top priority. The FBI would also like to remind everyone to exercise care in handling mail, especially from unrecognized senders.”

The incident follows a disturbing national trend that has seen an increase in reported hate crimes against Jews, Muslims, and Arab communities and institutions, following the outbreak of the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas, the FBI said.

An Oct. 25 Department of Homeland Security and FBI public service announcement said there is rising “concern that violent extremists and lone offenders motivated by or reacting to ongoing events could target these communities.”

“These threats have included hoax bomb threats targeting houses of worship and violent rhetoric online encouraging attacks against the Jewish, Arab American, and Muslim communities across the United States,” the announcement said. “Of note, on 14 October an individual in Illinois stabbed and killed a six-year-old Palestinian-American child and severely wounded his mother, an incident that is being investigated as an anti-Muslim hate crime.”

While there have been no specific cases of attacks inspired by foreign adversaries in the U.S., federal officials said an ISIS media posting urged followers to “target the Jewish presence all over the world … especially Jewish neighborhoods in America and Europe,” and specifically encouraged attacks on Jewish temples, nightclubs, and economic interests, and against “Jewish and Crusader” embassies.

The PSA included security resources and strategies that community organizations and faith leaders could take to prevent violence.

Rabbi Benjamin Hassan of Sephardic Bikur Holim said on Nov. 6 that around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 3, their business manager was opening mail and noticed a “very strange letter” that contained a white powder. He said the business manager immediately enacted their safety protocols, called 911, and alerted their security committee and leadership.

“This is a sad thing,” Hassan said. “We’ve always been a target. That’s the sad thing, that we need guards and fences to come and pray.”

Hassan said the incident happened an hour before Sabbath services, and the Orthodox synagogue, which doesn’t use a lot of technology, issued an emergency announcement to let congregants know the block had been sealed off by the Seattle Fire Department.

He said he was heartened by the swift response from the Seattle police and fire departments and from sister congregations who reached out to offer space for them to gather, as well as expressions of solidarity from other faith leaders.

Hassan said his message to congregants over the last few weeks has been to continue going about daily life, congregating for prayer, and living unafraid.

“There will always be those who hate, but we can’t give into fear or go into hiding,” he said.

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📸 Featured Image: Congregation Ezra Bessaroth Sephardic synagogue in Seward Park was one of the synagogues that received a suspicious letter containing an unknown substance on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (Photo: Susan Fried)

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