Fourth Wave of Bomb Threats at Jewish Community Centers; Cemetery Desecrated

[Content Note: Anti-Semitism; terrorism.]

Yesterday, anti-Semitic terrorists called in a fourth round of bomb threats to 11 Jewish Community Centers across the U.S. Since the beginning of the year, 53 Jewish Community Centers in 26 states have been targeted with bomb threats. According to the SPLC: "The first wave hit on January 9th, then on the 18th and again on the 31st." And now again yesterday, [CN: video may autoplay] on the same day "vandals damaged dozens of headstones at a Jewish cemetery."

This is not happening in a vacuum.

Donald Trump ran a white supremacist campaign that was peppered with anti-Semitism, including his use of an anti-Semitic graphic against Hillary Clinton and his deployment of anti-Semitic stereotypes against then-DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. He has also repeatedly used the phrase "America First" despite its anti-Semitic origins and pleas from the Anti-Defamation League to stop using it.

In fact, not only did Trump refuse to stop using it; he made it the centerpiece of his inauguration address: "We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it's going to be only America first—America first."

And, within weeks of taking office, Trump's White House issued a statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day that failed to mention Jews, which Chief of Staff Reince Priebus then defended with Holocaust denialism.

By June of 2016, violent anti-Semitic attacks had risen by 50 percent. And now Jewish Community Centers have gotten four waves of bomb threats since the beginning of this year.

Asked for comment on the wave of bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer told NBC News' Peter Alexander: "Hatred and hate-motivated violence of any kind have no place in a country founded on the promise of individual freedom. The President has made it abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable."

Bullshit he has.

When Trump was asked about the rise of anti-Semitic incidents during his joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this is how he responded by bragging about his electoral college victory and then saying he knows Jewish people:

Well, I just want to say that we are, you know, very honored by the victory that we had—306 electoral college votes. We were not supposed to crack 220. You know that, right? There was no way to 221, but then they said there's no way to 270. And there's tremendous enthusiasm out there.

I will say that we are going to have peace in this country. We are going to stop crime in this country. We are going to do everything within our power to stop long simmering racism and every other thing that's going on. There's a lot of bad things that have been taking place over a long period of time.

I think one of the reasons I won the election is we have a very, very divided nation, very divided. And hopefully, I'll be able to do something about that. And I, you know, it was something that was very important to me.

As far as people, Jewish people, so many friends; a daughter who happens to be here right now; a son-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren. I think that you're going to see a lot different United States of America over the next three, four or eight years. I think a lot of good things are happening.

And you're going to see a lot of love. You're going to see a lot of love.

OK? Thank you.

And when he was asked about it again the next day by a Jewish reporter, who went out of his way to say he was not personally calling Trump anti-Semitic, Trump responded by claiming to be "the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life" and then berating the reporter:

He said he was gonna ask a very simple, easy question. And it's not, its not, not—not a simple question, not a fair question. Okay, sit down, I understand the rest of your question.

So here's the story, folks. Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life. Number two, racism, the least racist person. In fact, we did very well relative to other people running as a Republican— Quiet, quiet, quiet.

See, he lied about—he was gonna get up and ask a very straight, simple question, so you know, welcome to the world of the media. But let me just tell you something, that I hate the charge, I find it repulsive.

I hate even the question because people that know me and you heard the prime minister—you heard Ben Netanyahu yesterday, did you hear him, Bibi? He said, I've known Donald Trump for a long time and then he said, forget it.

So you should take that instead of having to get up and ask a very insulting question like that.

Neither of those replies to direct questions about anti-Semitism remotely resembles Trump making it "abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable." To the absolute contrary, his responses make it abundantly clear that the only action Trump finds unacceptable is being questioned about the rise of anti-Semitic violence during his campaign and presidency.

JCC threats, cemetery desecration & online attacks are so troubling & they need to be stopped. Everyone must speak out, starting w/ @POTUS.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 21, 2017

What she said.