Augusta, Maine Church Receives Emailed Bomb Threat Over The Weekend, Jewish Leaders Speak Out

As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, so now do the ongoing threats against Jewish people all around the world, including right here in Maine.

According to an article published in the Kennebec Journal, one Augusta, Maine church was the recipient of an emailed bomb threat that came in over the weekend. The KJ reports that Augusta's Temple Beth El was forced to evacuate the building and cancel Hebrew school over the weekend.

The KJ said that Rabbi Erica Asch, along with the Augusta Police Department, notified the church's congregation about the threat. Officials called in a bomb-sniffing dog from the Maine State Police to check both the Temple and the Shuman Center. It was later determined that there was no bomb and that the original threat was part of a Nationwide hoax that had gone to multiple synagogues all around the United States this weekend.

Maine State Police Spokeswoman, Shannon Moss, said in part about the threats,

“In the past 24 hours the emails were also sent to synagogues nationwide. They were deemed to be hoaxes. The MIAC will continue to report any updated information or events related to this issue for situational awareness.”

Rabbi Jared Saks, of Congregation Bet Ha’am in South Portland, said in part about the increase of recent threats against Jews,

“It has been part of a spike in threats that we have seen in the past few days. The threats are something we’ve been seeing for quite awhile, but certainly more after Oct. 7.”