Nothing can truly prepare you for that unexpected phone call.
I’d been following reports of bomb threats directed at Jewish Community Centers across the country. The distressing rise in such incidents lingered in my thoughts, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was only a matter of time before we faced a similar situation. But even with that awareness, nothing could have readied me for that phone call.
As an employee at a synagogue, I’ve been in close contact with the Anti-Defamation League and have seen the alerts sent out to local Jewish organizations whenever a threat is made—whether in our city or elsewhere. I’m familiar with the safety protocols and response strategies we have in place should a threat occur. Yet, when that call came, I felt utterly unprepared.
Earlier that day, I had participated in a security meeting at our local JCC, where my toddler is enrolled in preschool. I was reassured by the discussions about the safety measures implemented, the training staff had completed, and the involvement of Homeland Security. I left feeling confident that the center could handle any potential crisis.
But then, the call came. “Do you have both kids with you?”
I had taken the day off to spend time with my oldest daughter, while my youngest was at school. The guilt of sending him in that day, knowing what was to come, gnawed at me. What if something happened? I would never forgive myself.
“No, I just have Mia. Ryan’s at school.”
“Listen, there was a bomb threat called into the JCC this morning. Everything is fine right now, but I wanted you to know.”
At that moment, my heart dropped. I felt a wave of numbness wash over me.
I hung up and looked around the indoor playground, where I had gathered with friends. I told my daughter I’d be back shortly and turned to my fellow mom friend, whispering, “I have to go get Ryan. There was a bomb threat.”
The rain was pouring, and I was a solid thirty minutes from his school. I drove like a woman possessed—no, I drove like a mother whose child’s life was under threat due to the faith he was born into. I covered the distance in a mere 11 minutes.
Let that sink in. I was rushing to save my child, whose school was in peril solely because it was a Jewish institution. Hatred and ignorance—when did this become our reality?
The email we received was vague. It stated that a threat had been made, the building had been evacuated, and the children were safe. But it also instructed us not to come pick up our kids.
How could they tell me not to come? I understood the safety protocols in place, the risk involved in entering the premises during a threat. Yet, in that moment, none of that mattered. I needed to get to my baby, and if it meant putting my own life on the line, I would do it. The thoughts racing through my mind as I drove, trying to speak to my husband between sobs, were ones no parent should ever have to face.
As I turned onto the street leading to the school, I contemplated driving through the gate if it was closed. It wasn’t, thankfully. I ran into the school, and a staff member directed me to where the kids had been evacuated. I sprinted back to my car, pulled up to the building, and waving my security badge, dashed inside to find my child.
The look on his teacher’s face will stay with me forever. “Is this real? Please tell me you know what’s going on.”
She searched my expression for answers that I couldn’t give. All I knew was that I had to see my child.
As I exited, I glanced back at a warehouse-like building filled with children—laughing, singing, playing, blissfully unaware of the chaos surrounding them. I later learned they had been told it was a field trip, and it was up to us parents to decide how much to share about the threat with our little ones.
The relief I felt when I finally had Ryan safe in my arms was like being granted a second chance at life. As I drove away, I was eerily thankful that he was too young to understand what had just transpired. While he may never remember this day, I know I will never forget.
This incident was just one of many threats aimed at JCCs across over 20 states, but nothing, absolutely nothing, could have prepared me for that call.
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Summary:
The author recounts the harrowing experience of receiving a bomb threat call concerning her child’s school, reflecting on the emotions and fears that arise in such a situation. The piece highlights the challenges of parenting in a world filled with threats and the instinctual drive to protect one’s children.