A 60-year-old man from Millis, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to just over two years in federal prison for making violent, antisemitic threats toward local synagogues and the Israeli
consulate in Boston.
John Reardon received a 26-month sentence from U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick on Thursday after pleading guilty in November to multiple charges. Prosecutors said he made dozens of threatening calls and voicemails beginning on October 7, 2023 — the same day the Israel–Hamas war began.
The threats included statements about bombing synagogues, killing Jewish children, and other disturbing remarks. In one voicemail to an Attleboro synagogue, prosecutors said Reardon told them that by “supporting genocide,” it was acceptable for others to commit genocide against them.
He also targeted a synagogue in Sharon, Massachusetts, with similar threats, and repeatedly called the Israeli consulate in Boston — 98 times over several months — once telling them it was “time to prepare the furnaces again,” a reference to the Holocaust.
Reardon’s attorney argued for a lighter, nine-month sentence, citing mental health struggles that contributed to his actions. Prosecutors, however, emphasized the fear and harm caused to the victims.
The case came amid a nationwide rise in antisemitic threats following the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas conflict, which began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Palestinian health officials say over 61,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then. Photo by Ben Schumin, Wikimedia commons.