A local religious center had to be evacuated Sunday morning, according to the Yuma Police Department.
The Yuma Police Department said it responded to a threat made against a local Jewish congregation.
The Yuma Police Department, Yuma County Sheriff's Office, and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma bomb squad evacuated the building just after 10 a.m. during a Sunday service at the Yuma Center for Spiritual Living, located in the area of 2nd Avenue and 7th Street.
This evacuation comes after a slew of bomb threats towards synagogues around the country during the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year. Jewish advocacy group - StopAntisemitism - shared these threats to their audience on Twitter.
Bomb threats at the following Synagogues took place leading up to and over the Rosh Hashana weekend:
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) September 18, 2023
- Albany, NY
- Brooklyn, NY
- Long Island, NY
- Santa Clarita, CA
- Short Hills, NJ
- Fairlawn, NJ
America 2023.
Police say they made sure everything was checked and clear before people could go back to the religious center.
The threat was made via email to the only Jewish congregation in Yuma, called Beth HaMidbar.
This all comes during the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah which began on Friday evening and ended Sunday night.
Congregation Beth HaMidbar said they were disappointed to hear about the threat.
And to their knowledge, there were no Jewish people in the building at the time of the threat.