Hawaii

Email Threat To Jewish Temples In Hawaii Heightens Security Fears

Published

1 year ago

December 10, 2023

Email Threat To Jewish Temples In Hawaii Heightens Security Fears

The state Attorney General’s Office and the FBI will investigate an email claiming that explosives had been placed in Jewish synagogues across Hawaii, Gov. Josh Green said.

Temple Emanu-El in Nuuanu contacted the Honolulu Police Department and the FBI after staff members received the email on Saturday, according to Deborah Zysman, vice president of the board of trustees.

“HPD came and did a walk-through of the facility to see if there was any kind of explosives and they did not find anything,” she said.

A worker uses a power washer to remove antisemitic graffiti from the wall outside Leonard’s Bakery on Kapahulu in Honolulu on Dec. 9. (Allan Kew/Civil Beat/2023)

“It was unfortunately some threatening emails, but it does not appear that it was anything more than that,” she said. “It unfortunately shows that Hawaii is not immune from the rise in antisemitism that we have seen around the world. But we are also very confident that it does not reflect the views of our larger community.”

She noted it was unclear who sent the email and if it may have been from outside Hawaii.

The email came through on the same day that a swastika and Star of David were spray painted on Leonard’s Bakery’s flagship store on Kapahulu Bakery in Waikiki. Somebody was spraying bleach and trying to power wash it off the building. The bakery’s manager couldn’t be reached for comment.

Zysman said the synagogue has already increased security over the past several years and didn’t plan to cancel any events since HPD had cleared the facility. “We will proceed as normal,” she said.

“We do take the threat very seriously,” she said. “We really appreciate how responsive the law enforcement were. They came and made sure our building was safe.”

A copy of the email that was shared with Civil Beat appeared to have been sent to several Jewish leaders and synagogues in Hawaii, with the subject line “Explosives in your synagogue but also in every Synagogue from Hawaii.”

It said the explosives were well-hidden and would go off in a few hours, adding the recipients would die and deserved to suffer.

It didn’t give other details, but there has been an increase in threats and antisemitic rhetoric nationwide since the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct. 7.

Other people and institutions on the list didn’t respond to emails seeking comment.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi said the temple’s rabbi had contacted his office about the threat and the police had determined there were no explosives at Temple Emanu-El but asked for a greater police presence during a children’s event on Sunday.

Blangiardi said that would be provided but also appealed to the community to raise awareness about security. He noted that the Honolulu Marathon was scheduled for Sunday and police resources would be tied up with that as well.

“I’m hoping that there’s nothing to this,” he said of the emailed threat. “But like anything we’re going to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

“We’re going to take these threats most seriously and do everything that we possibly can, but we have finite resources so we need everybody to be on alert,” Blangiardi added.

HPD didn’t reply to a request for comment.

Green said such threats won’t be tolerated. “I’ve instructed our Attorney General and the FBI to look into these threats, and they have enlisted our local law enforcement as well,” he said in a brief statement. “My administration won’t tolerate threats or hate speech in our state against anyone, and anyone who makes such threats and behaves in this way will be prosecuted fully and likely go to jail.”

Civil Beat reporters Stewart Yerton and Allan Kew contributed to this report.

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Hawaii

Hawaii nonprofits brace for less federal funding

Published

7 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

Hawaii nonprofits brace for less federal funding

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaii nonprofits that provide critical social safety nets are facing economic hardship of their own.

President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is expected to slash federal appropriations, government contracts and grant awards, and heavily impact social services across the state.

Melissa Pavlicek, Hawaii True Cost Coalition, explained, “The community-based organizations that are providing key government services are already struggling to provide those services. Some of their contract prices have not increased in over 10 years. The cost to provide those services is significantly greater. The transportation costs, rent, employees, food, everything has gone up. And to serve the community costs more. So we’re looking to our state policy leaders to help ensure those services are continued.”

To mitigate the potential fallout or disruption of services, nonprofit leaders are working to fill the gaps with the help of lawmakers, private donors, philanthropy, corporate foundations and residents themselves.

Suzanne Skjold, Aloha United Way COO, said, “Whether that’s helping your neighbor, maybe donating to a charity that is losing a program, even getting involved politically, locally, you know, voting matters. Being involved in our legislature matters.”

“The slack really has to be picked up by the state and county governments as well as the private sector,” warned U.S. Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, “and so these are gonna be tough times and I’m telling everybody, hey, let’s, not sugarcoat this. We have to be prepared for the unexpected.”

Another concern is legislation that some believe if passed could be used to target progressive nonprofits opposed by the Trump administration.

For now, community advocates are urged to keep calm.

Case said, “The first thing I would advise everybody is not to freak out. That we have been through changes in administration before. That these are core federal programs that within Congress, even a divided and polarized Congress, many, many people from both parties support these programs.”

“We want to make sure Hawaii doesn’t become the kind of place where we lead in a way that’s hateful to others,” Skjold said.

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Hawaii

Visitors warned after toddler nearly runs off 400-foot cliff near Hawaii volcano

Published

19 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Visitors warned after toddler nearly runs off 400-foot cliff near Hawaii volcano

The National Park Service is warning parents to keep their children close after a toddler ran toward the edge of a 400-foot-tall cliff at Hawaii National Park on Christmas.

The young boy was at the park with his family to view the eruption of the Kilauea volcano. They were in a closed area at Kilauea Overlook when he wandered away from his family before the “near miss.” His mother, screaming, managed to grab him just about a foot away from a fatal fall.

“Park rangers remind visitors to stay on trail, stay out of closed areas and to keep their children close, especially when watching Kīlauea from viewpoints along Crater Rim Trail. Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk,” the agency warned.

People watch as an eruption takes place on the summit of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii on Monday. The volcanic eruption, which started on Monday, is now in its second pause. But, park officials are issuing a warning to visitors after an almost disastrous incident occurred near the volcano ((Janice Wei/NPS via AP))

Rangers noted that dangers escalate during volcanic eruptions, as people flock to view the spectacle of lava flowing out of the Earth’s crust. The Park Service urged drivers to slow, and watch out for pedestrians, Hawaiian geese, and switch to low beams when other cars and pedestrians are present.

The eruption, which started on December 23, is now in its second pause, according to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. But, it could still restart at any time.

Furthermore, emissions of toxic gas remain high, including particulate matter called tephra. Billions of minuscule pieces of tephra, which include all fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano, can be carried on winds for thousands of miles and can cause respiratory issues. Volcanoes also produce dangerous gases, like carbon dioxide and hydrogen chloride.

Tephra has blanketed the closed portion of Crater Rim Drive downwind of the lava.

Lava fountains erupt in Kīlauea crater as seen from Kūpinaʻi Pali in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Monday. Hazards increase for parkgoers during volcanic eruptions (NPS)

“The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management,” Park Superintendent Rhonda Loh said in a statement.

“Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibility. National parks showcase nature’s splendor but they are not playgrounds,” she said.

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Hawaii

Hawaii Supreme Court rejects county council candidate’s election lawsuit

Published

1 day ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Hawaii Supreme Court rejects county council candidate’s election lawsuit

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The state Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit by Maui County Council candidate Kelly King to overturn the general election results.

King lost her race last month to incumbent Tom Cook by 97 votes.

She argued the county rejected too many ballots because of missing or invalid signatures, and that voters weren’t offered enough help to fix the problems.

In Maui County, there were nearly 1,100 deficient ballots compared to the national average. King says Maui County’s rejection rate was nearly double the state average in 2022.

But the high court ruled Tuesday that the County Clerk’s Office followed state law and all administrative rules to cure the deficient ballots.

View the full decision here.