By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer

People arriving for Beth Abraham Synagogue’s Shabbat morning services March 15 were met with a visible police presence from Oakwood’s Public Safety Department because of a swatting threat against the congregation.

Swatting calls aim to cause disruption and trigger a large-scale police response.

According to Oakwood Public Safety’s incident report, the Regional Dispatch Center transferred a call to Oakwood’s dispatch center at 5:16 p.m., Friday, March 14. A male voice told Oakwood’s dispatcher he would go to Beth Abraham Synagogue with 17 pipe bombs and explode them “when they open, tomorrow.”

An Oakwood Public Safety lieutenant and two officers then searched the exterior of the locked and closed synagogue and found nothing suspicious.

The department determined that “due to the specific nature of the location, the threat must be viewed as credible.”

With Oakwood Public Safety staff and Jewish Federation Security Director John Davis — who coordinates security for the Dayton area’s Jewish organizations — the Dayton Police Department Regional Bomb Squad conducted a sweep of the synagogue with a bomb canine Saturday morning, March 15 before it opened for services.

According to Oakwood Public Safety’s incident report, regional dispatch was unable to trace the unlisted phone number. Oakwood Public Safety’s investigation in partnership with Davis and Secure Community Network, the safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America, is underway.

SCN is the Jewish community’s official liaison with federal law enforcement and coordinates closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners on safety and security matters related to the Jewish community.

To read the complete April 2025 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.