MJCCA seeks donations for additional security costs

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta has sent a letter to members seeking donations for additional security.

The undated letter from CEO Jared Powers said “in light of recent events around the country, we are making additional security investment, and we are looking to you for a donation to help the MJCCA defray these security costs.”

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Spokeswoman Lora Sommer said the letter was an annual security appeal, “there’s nothing new.”

The letter, which asks for a donation of at least $100, said there is a “robust” security operation already in place. “That’s our commitment to you,” the letter said. “However, that commitment is extraordinarily expensive.” Such costs have historically been funded solely by the center’s operating budget.

Last year, a bomb threat was received by the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in Dunwoody, and last week at least two metro Atlanta mosques received threatening emails that were detailed enough for the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to alert federal authorities.

A 19-year-old Israel resident was charged with making bomb threats to several Jewish organizations.