A bomb threat was made to a synagogue in Hingham, Massachusetts, on Sunday, leading to the evacuation of several homes and a road closure in the area.
Hingham police said the threat was made to Congregation Sha'aray Shalom, located at 1112 Main St.
According to police, an employee inside the temple received an email around 1:28 p.m. that warned bombs were in the building. The employee left and called 911. It happened shortly after a Sunday school program wrapped up.
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Affected houses and businesses were evacuated, police said, and Route 228 was closed to traffic in both directions at Gardner and Whiting streets to accommodate the law enforcement response and investigation.
Explosion detections dogs from the Quincy Police Department and Massachusetts State Police were brought in to search the building. No explosives were found, police said, adding that Main St. was reopened to traffic at 3:15 p.m.
“Obviously everything has to be coordinated with state and federal partners as well to try and investigate exactly where this came from,” Hingham police Lt. Steven Dearth said.
The incident remains under investigation.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, there has been a nearly 400% increase in anti-Semitic incidents since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
"Honestly we were shocked but not entirely surprised because we understand that these acts have happened all throughout the country," cantor Steven Weiss said.
It was a frightening disruption for the local Jewish community, and it wasn't the only one.
"We understand that we’re one of a few incidents this afternoon so when the police arrived, they already had a sense that we were now part of a pattern," Weiss said. "It’s an unfortunate pattern but one we hope that will stop soon.”
Around the same time elsewhere in Massachusetts, threats were made against a temple in Needham, and a synagogue in Northampton. Nothing was found in either building.
The Sharon Police Department said they will be continuing increased patrols in light of the several hoax bomb threats to Jewish religious institutions in Needham, Hingham and Northampton, in addition to the shooting outside of the Islamic Center of Rhode Island in Providence.
“It’s important that everybody check on each other and check in with each other to make sure everybody is ok. Because everybody is not OK, right?" Weiss said.
Investigations into all of these incidents remain ongoing.
