Campus Alert Archive
JTS

A Bomb Threat Forces NYPD Response at the Flagship Conservative Jewish Seminary on Manhattan's Morningside Heights

NYbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the afternoon of Thursday, September 25, 2025, the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City received a bomb threat directed at the school. The institution's chief of security notified students of the threat and the NYPD's quick response, which ultimately determined there was no credible or immediate threat.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
The Jewish Theological Seminary
Private Masters · NY
JTS Security Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction205 chars
The Jewish Theological Seminary has received a bomb threat. The NYPD has quickly responded and found no credible or immediate threat. Please remain calm and follow any instructions from security personnel.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: the Columbia Spectator reported that 'the school's chief of security wrote to students' and quoted NYPD's finding of 'no credible or immediate threat,' but did not publish the exact alert text verbatim.
The notification was sent on a Thursday afternoon in the period around the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 2025), a time of heightened alert for Jewish institutions nationwide.
Context

Background

The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, located at 3080 Broadway in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood adjacent to Columbia University, is the flagship institution of Conservative Judaism and one of the most prominent rabbinical schools in the United States. On the afternoon of Thursday, September 25, 2025, the seminary received a bomb threat. The institution's chief of security promptly notified students by email that the NYPD had quickly responded and found 'no credible or immediate threat.' The incident occurred during a period of elevated antisemitic incidents in New York City in 2025, which the ADL documented as part of a broader national trend. The FBI and IC3 had previously warned in January 2024 about malicious actors threatening US synagogues, schools, and Jewish institutions with bomb threats via email and phone. JTS, which trains rabbis, cantors, and Jewish educators, sits blocks from Columbia University where Gaza-related campus protests had intensified throughout 2024-2025.
Outcome
NYPD responded quickly and found no credible or immediate threat. No injuries or damage reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Student Paper
    Jewish Theological Seminary receives bomb threat, NYPD finds 'no credible or immediate threat,' school tells students - Columbia Daily Spectator
    columbiaspectator.com
  2. social media
    Columbia Daily Spectator on X: BREAKING - JTS bomb threat
    x.com
  3. reference
    Jewish Theological Seminary of America - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
bomb-threatseminaryrabbinical-schooljewish-institutionantisemitismnew-yorkmanhattanmorningside-heightsnypdunfounded-threatUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion