As YWN first reported earlier today, many Jewish schools had received bomb threats on Monday morning.

Now, the chair of the Jewish Federations of North America board of trustees says 15 to 19 Jewish community centers in at least six states have been targeted by bomb threats.

Richard Sandler told The Associated Press the number of threats investigated Monday across the South and Northeast was unusually high. Sandler says some were prerecorded calls.

No additional details about the calls were immediately available. Sandler said some of the community centers were evacuated but no explosives were found.

Authorities say bomb threats have targeted Jewish community centers in several states, including Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Maryland and Delaware.

Four of the centers are in Florida. Bomb threats also targeted Jewish community centers and schools in central Florida and Tampa last week, but Sandler said there’s no apparent link between those threats and the calls received Monday.

Police said Monday that no explosives were found after bomb threats were received at the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Community Alliance of Jacksonville. At other locations, buildings were evacuated and authorities investigated.

Authorities say Miami-Dade Fire Rescue evacuated the Alper Jewish Community Center, which had about 450 children and 70 adults in it at the time.

Last week, bomb threats targeted two Jewish centers in central Florida and two Jewish preschools in Tampa. Authorities said no explosives were found.

Sandler said the federations’ security network was working closely with law enforcement to ensure safety at the community centers.

(AP)