Police and federal agents are asking the public to remain vigilant while they investigate antisemitic graffiti and a threat made on the third day of Hanukkah to detonate hidden explosives “inside of every Hawaii synagogue.”
The email was sent at 11:23 a.m. Saturday to 11 email addresses connected to Jewish groups statewide during the Festival of Lights, according to a screen grab of the threat shared with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
“Hi, there are multiple explosives placed inside your synagogue but also inside of every Hawaii synagogue,” read the threat, sent from iwillsmashyourheadwithahammer1@skiff.com. “The explosives are well hidden and will go off in a few hours. You will all die, you all deserve to suffer.”
Who sent the threat to blow up Jewish gathering places in Hawaii is not clear, and law enforcement did not find explosives. The email is registered to an IP address in Europe that is often used by cybercriminals trying to thwart detection by law enforcement.
Sarah Yoro, an HPD spokesperson, told the Star-Advertiser the department was notified and opened a first-degree terroristic threatening case. HPD officers searched Temple Emanu-El in Nuuanu on Saturday.
“Officers searched the property but did not find anything suspicious,” said Yoro. “No arrests have been made at this time. Officers will be making periodic checks of the area. The investigation is ongoing.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is aware of the “threats and take these threats very seriously.”
“However, there is currently no threat to public safety,” said Joy Van Der Voort, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Honolulu Division. “The FBI works closely with our local law enforcement partners to assess and respond to threats and keep our community safe. The FBI would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that if they come across any suspicious activity to report it to law enforcement.”
The FBI encourages the public to immediately report anything suspicious to the FBI at 808-566-4300 or tips.fbi.gov.
The threats and heightened tensions in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and the ongoing war in the Holy Land have local religious leaders and law enforcement officials collaborating to ensure emotions don’t evolve into violence.
Jewish leaders report threatening voicemails and online messages. HPD and the FBI are also investigating a series of antisemitic graffiti that appeared after Hanukkah started and was reported to authorities Friday.
Images of the Star of David equaling a Nazi swastika were found on the Honolulu Zoo parking lot sign, along Kapahulu Avenue, in Ewa, Nanakuli, Kapolei and other Oahu locations Friday and reported to HPD.
HPD notified the FBI and the Anti-Defamation League on Saturday.
“HPD is aware of graffiti at locations in the Kapahulu and Ewa areas. No arrests have been made. Anyone who observes graffiti in progress should call 911,” said Michelle Yu, an HPD spokesperson.
Practitioners of Islam and Judaism have urged peace and unity.
Cris Borden, 51, president of the Temple Emanu-El board of trustees, told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that after receiving the threat the synagogue contacted its security team, called 911 and reached out to its FBI contacts.
“We really don’t let it get to us. If we go back in history, this is nothing new that Jews have faced. What we say all the time, we abhor any kind of hate, whether it be antisemitism, Islamophobia — that’s not who we are as a people,” said Borden. “We know that the Muslim community nationwide has experienced hate as well, and we would call that out, too.”
The war and increased instances of antisemitism and acts of violence worldwide prompted Temple Emanu-El, which counts 200 family units as members, to start a $50,000 fundraising campaign in October to step up security and protect worship.
The temple “significantly” exceeded its goal to pay for armed guards and enhanced security in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel.
Heightened security will protect services, the temple’s school and special events. Private security guards cost up to $100 per hour per person. Special Honolulu police officers with a police vehicle run about $60 an hour per person.
A Vimeo streaming account for members who are uncomfortable worshipping in public costs up to $1,000 a year, and to keep up the personnel to manage technology for events runs $30 to $100 per hour.
Frank J. Pace, administrator of the state Department of Defense’s Office of Homeland Security, told the Star-Advertiser that officials routinely look for “online threats to faith-based institutions and related community organizations and thoroughly evaluates all suspicious activity tips” received by the Hawaii State Fusion Center.
“Whether directed at people or places, vague or specific, The Hawaii State Fusion Center analyzes these threats for any evidence of criminality and attribution. In this effort, OHS works cooperatively with the State Department of Law Enforcement, the Attorney General’s Office, county police, and federal law enforcement partners,” said Pace. “Since the attacks on Israel on October 7th, The Hawaii Office of Homeland Security has been in communication with our Faith-Based Communities and is committed to the safety and security of all Hawaii Residents. While the relative risk of terrorism in Hawaii remains low, current antisemitic incidents including threats and acts of vandalism prove that we are not immune regardless of our geographic isolation and should always be vigilant.”
Pace urged residents and visitors to report information related to “terrorism, targeted violence, and related threats to our community” through the Hawaii State Fusion Center at hsfc.hawaii.gov.
Statewide threat
Chabad-Lubavitch, a Hasidic Orthodox group dedicated to worldwide outreach to Jews of all backgrounds, established its first Chabad House in Honolulu in the 1980s, according to local Jewish leaders.
Rabbi Michoel Goldman of the Kauai Jewish Center in Kapaa and the Chabad of Kauai, told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that the threat was reported to the Kauai Police Department and the FBI.
The center hosted a Hanukkah party Sunday and asked police to be present. Since the Oct. 7 attacks the center has employed armed guards and is training its community to help keep watch over the center and other gatherings.
“I don’t think the person who wrote the email was planning anything. It was just a scare tactic. The whole point of it was to scare people and freak people out. There were no actual bombs in any Jewish centers in Hawaii that we know of,” said Goldman. “We take it (the threat) seriously. Antisemitism is a very unique form of hate. … Hawaii has never experienced such antisemitism, ever. That’s what’s alarming. People living here 40-50 years and they have never seen anything like that.”
Kauai Police Chief Todd G. Raybuck told the Star-Advertiser that KPD received a report of the same threat that was made across the state.
“The Department discussed the threat on Kauai with interested parties. There are no active Synagogues on Kauai; no criminal investigation was initiated at this time,” said Raybuck, who acknowledged that county police departments are working with the FBI to actively monitor threats in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Rabbi Mendy Krasnjansky of the Chabad of Maui told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that they immediately reported the threat to law enforcement and other agencies Saturday.
Krasnjansky helps hundreds of Jews on Maui and thousands that visit the island each year with worship and noted the “horrific antisemitism” spiking around the world.
“We are taking it seriously. It’s bizarre … here in Maui and Hawaii … to see such hate,” he said, noting that Monday was the fifth day of Hanukkah. “This (hate) is not new, and our Jewish response is obviously stay vigilant, be proud of who we are. … We need to spread more light, and the world needs more love.”
The Maui Police Department regularly works with faith-based communities as well as state and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that everyone is able to worship safely, Alana Pico, information and education specialist for the Maui Police Department, told the Star-Advertiser. MPD did not receive a report of Saturday’s threat.
Levi Gerlitzky, rabbi of the Chabad of Kona and West Hawaii, didn’t receive the email, but was notified about the threat.
“We do take the concept seriously and understand that people can make good on threats,” said Gerlitzky. “We want to be cautious of that.”
Denise Laitinen, public relations specialist for the Hawaii Police Department, told the Star-Advertiser that the department “has not received any threats regarding this.”
