Religious freedom has turned to fear
War in Gaza has escalated threats to several faiths
By the time Rabbi Robin Nafshi of Temple Beth Jacob in Concord, N.H., read the threatening email her congregation received on the morning of Dec. 17, she already knew she wasn’t alone.
Several synagogues in New Hampshire were among scores nationwide targeted with a wave of alarming messages that falsely claimed explosive devices had been planted in the Jewish houses of worship, as antipathy flares globally amid Israel’s war with Hamas.
Nafshi said tensions are “excessively heightened” these days, but the current environment pre-dates the attack Hamas launched Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
“While there certainly has been an escalation of antisemitic incidents in these last two-plus months,” Nafshi said, “we saw a wave of these kinds of emails over the summer, and before the High Holy Days in September.”
Nafshi said her congregation has a terrific relationship with law enforcement and has benefited in recent months from police spending more time around the synagogue.
Federal law enforcement leaders have said an uptick in hoax threats apparently aims to disrupt services and intimidate congregants at synagogues nationwide. Even empty threats can have their intended ill effects since the prospect of actual violence is everpresent as well.
With a recent joint advisory, federal officials warned that lone actors could target large gatherings, high-profile events, or religious locations this winter to commit violence against Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Arab communities.
Last month, three Palestinian students who were speaking in a mix of Arabic and English were shot in Burlington, Vt., in what authorities there are investigating as a possible hate crime. And violence has been reported elsewhere in the US as well.
FBI Special Agent Timothy DeMann said the Israel and Hamas war “has everyone on edge.”
Although the FBI isn’t aware of any specific or credible threats targeting people in or around New Hampshire, agents are working with local police agencies and community partners to react when incidents like the recent hoax bomb threats occur, and identify and disrupt any threats that may emerge, he said.
DeMann’s comments came during a Dec. 19 roundtable at the Manchester Police Department, where local, state, and federal law enforcement leaders brought a shared message: They’re listening, and they’re taking action to combat illegal acts of hatred.
“If you threaten people, if you commit crimes, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Jane E. Young, the US attorney in New Hampshire.
“This isn’t a game. This isn’t a joke. These are people’s lives. … People want to go and worship their creator in peace, without fear.”
Young said she and fellow leaders have been hearing concerns from a broad spectrum of community members and faith leaders lately.
“The fear is palpable,” she said. Aside from deterring violence through criminal prosecution, New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said his office is committed to curbing acts of hate by taking civil action as well.
“We will only be successful if we continue this collaboration both within the law enforcement community and with affected communities,” he said.
To that end, the leaders at the roundtable said officials need to continue building and deepening their relationships with faith leaders to better understand the needs and vulnerabilities their groups experience.
Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg, who serves as president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, said any faith leader in the state who has trouble making a connection with their local law enforcement leaders can contact him for help to open the lines of communication proactively.