CAIR offers $5K reward after bomb threats targeting 10 Jewish Community Centers nationwide

WHITEFISH BAY -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who threatened to bomb at least 10 Jewish community centers around the nation on the Presidents Day holiday -- including the JCC in Whitefish Bay.

A bomb threat was called into the JCC in Whitefish Bay on Monday morning, February 20th around 10:00 a.m. Everyone was safely evacuated again -- after a similar bomb threat on January 31st.

According to CAIR, there were also bomb threats targeting Jewish Community Centers in Birmingham, Cleveland, Chicago, St. Paul, Tampa, Albuquerque, Houston, Milwaukee, Nashville, and Buffalo -- the latest in a series of bomb threats targeting Jewish Community Centers nationwide over the last two months.

"It is the duty of American Muslims to offer support to the Jewish community and any minority group targeted in the recent spike in hate crimes nationwide," said Nihad Awad, CAIR national executive director in a statement. "We hope this reward will aid in the swift apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrators."

Awad said CAIR has reported an unprecedented spike in hate rhetoric and bias-motivated incidents targeting American Muslims, Jews and other minorities since the election of President Donald Trump.