A Maryland man has been arrested for sending threatening letters to Jewish institutions, including a Philadelphia museum, in a campaign that spanned over 18 months. Clift A. Seferlis, 55, was charged on 17 June with mailing threatening communications, one of which invoked “Kristallnacht” – the infamous Nazi pogrom of 1938, reports The Jerusalem Post.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Seferlis allegedly targeted the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History and other Jewish organisations in Pennsylvania and beyond. One letter, reportedly sent to the museum in May, questioned whether its leaders cared about Israel’s actions in Gaza and ominously warned, “Will it take something happening to your beloved [institution] to make that happen?”
Other letters referenced the museum’s “many big open windows,” “anger and rage,” and the need to “rebuild” after its destruction. The chilling language and historical allusions raised deep concerns within the Jewish community.
Seferlis, who admitted his involvement to the FBI, had previously conducted tours at the museum and was scheduled to give another just days after his arrest. His professional background includes work as an architectural historian and licensed tour guide in Washington, DC and New York.
Following recent violent incidents—including a deadly shooting of Israeli embassy staff in Washington and a firebombing at a rally in Colorado that injured 15—Jewish institutions have heightened their security nationwide.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington commented on X, “After 18 months of threatening letters sent to Jewish institutions from NY to DC, the FBI has made an arrest.”
Seferlis has been released on a $50,000 bond with strict conditions, including electronic monitoring, surrender of firearms, and a ban on entering any Jewish institution or place of worship.
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