The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven joins with the Jewish Federations of North America and JCCs across the continent in praise of law enforcement officials for the arrest of the main suspect in the majority of bomb threats called into Jewish Community Centers and other Jewish institutions in 40 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces.

Israeli police announced Thursday that they had arrested a 19 year old man with dual Israeli-U.S. citizenship.

Jerry Silverman, President and CEO of JFNA, released the following statement, praising law enforcement and expressing relief that an arrest has been made. "Ten days ago, and again this morning, Jewish leaders were briefed by top officials from the FBI. From those briefings we learned about the unprecedented level of time and resources that were committed to this investigation along with the high levels of cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security and a long list of partners, including Israeli law enforcement. It was heartbreaking to learn that a Jewish man is a prime suspect.

Our ability to adapt quickly and liaise with law enforcement officials was in large part due to the work of the Secure Community Network. As a community and a society we must remain vigilant in our effort to counter anti-Semitism and other hate crimes as they appear. We are fortunate to know we have partners in law enforcement who will do whatever it takes to bring these perpetrators to justice."

Here in New Haven, our JCC was the object of 2 bomb threats and experienced first hand the disruption and terror they cause. We share in the praise of law enforcement, especially those who have worked so closely with us, including: Woodbridge Police, FBI, Connecticut State Police and Department of Homeland Security. We will continue to remain vigilant as we work to keep our Jewish community institutions safe.