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In a rare bipartisan move, 97 senators signed a letter to the Trump administration asking that the White House and executive agencies coordinate to contain the damage from a wave of threats against Jewish community centers and prevent new ones.

“We are concerned that the number of incidents is accelerating and failure to address and deter these threats will place innocent people at risk and threaten the financial viability of JCCs, many of which are institutions in their communities,” wrote the group.

The letter hailed the government for actions it has already taken to assist Jewish institutions, and was organized by Michigan Democrat Gary Peters, Florida Republican Marco Rubio, Florida Democrat Bill Nelson and Ohio Republican Rob Portman. The letter requested that the federal government help the institutions beef up their security and help them secure grant opportunities to cushion themselves from the financial impact of the threats.

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Scores of JCCs have been on the receiving end of well-disguised bomb threats over the past weeks, sparking safety fears among American Jews. President Trump was at first slow to condemn the incidents.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

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