February 7, 2022
The Central Conference of American Rabbis is horrified by the terror visited upon several of our nation’s historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), which were hit with bomb threats last week. We are only grateful that the HBCUs acted quickly, as did law enforcement, that no explosives were found, and nobody was injured.
We do not imagine that the timing of the bomb threats, at the outset of Black History Month, was a coincidence. HBCUs, though born of white supremacy and segregation, have played a significant and praiseworthy role in American history, well beyond the community they were initially established to serve. They deserve respect and honor, not terror.
We learn in the Book of Proverbs that “a mind that hatches evil” is “an abomination” to God (Proverbs 6:16–18). We are grateful that the FBI has identified persons of interest in the case. We call for the prosecution of those responsible to the full extent of the law.
Rabbi Lewis Kamrass
President
Rabbi Hara E. Person
Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis