Authorities investigate suspicious package at Jewish Center

PALMER — Alaska State Troopers and Palmer Fire Department personnel responded to a suspicious package at the Chabad Lubavitch Mat-Su Jewish Center near 49th State Street in Palmer Thursday afternoon.

Troopers report that a suspicious package was left with religious materials by an area resident that they wished to anonymously donate to the Jewish Center.

“There was a call that came in as a suspicious package, so right now we currently don’t know what’s in the package so out of caution we wanted to make sure that we set up a perimeter, notified the school that we did have a suspicious package, notified our federal partners and currently they’re en route from Anchorage and we’re just going to stand by and wait till they get here to see what we have,” said AST B Detachment Captain Tony April. “We’re going to wait till they get here from Anchorage and we’ll just stand by and wait to see what they want us to do. Once they get here once everything is made what they would consider safe then we would notify that it’s all clear.”

Troopers report that personnel from the Palmer Fire Department, AST Patrol and General Investigative Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Anchorage Police Department Bomb Squad responded to the location and determined the package not to be hazardous. The Safety Resource Officer at Colony High School also assisted in the investigation.

Rabbi Mendy Greenberg oversees the Mat-Su Jewish Center. He said after the package arrived, they contacted the authorities for guidance on how to proceed.

“They felt it was something we should take seriously and they dealt with it as if it could have been the worst… They found out it was nothing, just an anonymous donation,” Geenberg said. “It was a false alarm. There was nothing wrong. It’s all good.”

The questionable package turned out to be a contribution from an unknown donor.

“The point is it was nothing. Maybe it’s a lesson that when people do things anonymously… Especially in today’s climate, we should be more clear with our intentions,” Greenberg said. “It was suspicious enough for us to take it seriously, so we took it seriously.”

Greenberg stressed the fact that there was no bomb threat made or any kind of local incidents prior to the package’s arrival. He said it was just a matter of exercising caution.

“At the end of the day we’re a Jewish center. It’s not just my own family. We have a responsibility, and we want to make sure security is a top priority,” Greenberg said. “We had no reason to believe someone was trying to threaten us… It’s just the general climate in our country and the world, and who we are is why we wanted to be extra careful.”

Greenberg pointed out that they received an outpouring of care and concern from the community since the word got out, and the messages keep coming in.

“I think people imagined a lot worse than it was; but still on their part, it was very heartwarming,” Greenberg said. “From the entire Jewish community from the Mat-Su community, we felt very embraced, welcomed and thought of. We appreciate it, and it means a lot to us.”

Greenberg said that he’s relieved they can go back to celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year with his family and local Jewish community throughout the weekend.

“We’re very happy,” Greenberg said.