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The
incidents come amid a rise in hate crimes in the United States,
with a 37 percent spike in anti-Semitic attacks, the third
straight year that such attacks have increased, FBI data
released last month said.
"The letters appear to be similar in nature and do not convey
any type of threat," Baltimore County said on its website.
Two adults working in the offices of the Beth El Congregation
opened an envelope and immediately complained of feeling
nauseous, the county said.
The letter sent to Beth El contained religious information about
Jesus, according to the CBS affiliate in Baltimore.
Hazardous materials crews found no dangerous substances, the
county said.
Officials later responded to the Beth Isaac Adath Israel
Congregation because of a suspicious envelope, which was not
opened, the county said. No dangerous substances were found.
The Har Sinai Congregation received a letter a week ago and
reported it to police on Monday after learning about the other
incidents.
It did not contain any hazardous substances.
Synagogues are on high alert after a gunman who had made
anti-Semitic slurs on social media opened fire in a Pittsburgh
synagogue on Oct. 27, one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in
U.S. history.
Last week, an Ohio man, who said he admired the gunman in the
Pittsburgh attack, was arrested and charged with planning an
attack on another Jewish house of worship.
(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; editing by Bill
Tarrant and Lisa Shumaker)
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