Compiled by Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
An armed assailant rammed his truck on Thursday into Temple Israel, a large Reform congregation in the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield. He was subsequently killed in a firefight, according to officials.
Here are some comments by recognizable Jewish individuals and organizations.
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American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutch, CEO: “Once again, this time in Detroit, Jews were targeted at their place of worship. Once again, Jews faced mortal danger simply because of who they are. Today in America, when Jews gather—whether at a synagogue or a community event—it’s increasingly behind metal detectors and under the watch of armed security. According to @AJCGlobal’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report, 91% of American Jews say they feel less safe as Jewish people in the United States because of the violent attacks against Jews over the past year. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re not asking for more outrage. We’re asking for something simple: that people everywhere stand up, clearly and unequivocally, and say that this violent hatred will no longer be tolerated.”
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California Legislative Jewish Caucus, Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, chair: “We are saddened and outraged by the violent attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. We stand in solidarity with the Temple Israel congregation and with the entire West Bloomfield community at this difficult moment. Today’s attack is another painful reminder of the alarming rise in antisemitism and the very real and dangerous threats facing the Jewish community. These hateful acts, including an assault in San Jose earlier this week, demand action from all levels of government. It is precisely for this reason that our Caucus has championed policies to enhance security at houses of worship and to confront hate and bigotry of all forms. The Jewish Caucus remains committed to advancing policies to protect the Jewish community and to ensure that Californians of all faiths and backgrounds can live safely without fear of violence or harassment.”
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Combat Antisemitism Movement, Sacha Roytman, CEO: A horrific tragedy was narrowly averted on Thursday when quick-acting security guards shot dead an armed attacker after he rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. In America, only Jews need courage to go to their place of worship. The fight against antisemitism demands solidarity, action, and accountability from every leader, every institution, and every citizen. Antisemitism is a moral rot in our society that must be excised wherever and whenever it manifests.” A total of eight incidents at synagogues across the globe were monitored by the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) by CAM this week, including the bombing of a historic synagogue in Liège, Belgium, gunfire at two Toronto area synagogues, and the arrests of suspicious individuals near synagogues in Oslo and Trondheim in Norway. Other antisemitic incidents tracked by the ARC this week included:
–-United States: Two Jewish men were attacked at a restaurant in San Jose, California, after they were heard speaking Hebrew. The assailants reportedly shouted, “Don’t mess with Iran” and “F*ck the Jews.” … Reports emerged that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, “liked” multiple Instagram posts praising the October 7th massacre. Mamandi also hosted notorious anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil for an iftar dinner at Gracie Mansion on Monday.
—United Kingdom: During a soccer match in Norwich, spectators chanted “Dirty Jews,” “Dirty Zionists,” and “Go back to the gas chambers” at students from London’s Jewish Free School (JFS).
—Germany: Authorities disrupted a Hamas-linked effort to plot attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany and across Europe.
Of the 137 total incidents recorded by the ARC this week, 27 — 20% — were directly motivated by the ongoing Iran war, involving perpetrators driven to act by support of the regime or conspiratorial hatred of Jews and Israel.
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Israeli-American Council: “The Israeli-American Council (IAC) and our coast-to-coast community are horrified by today’s car ramming and shooting attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, MI. We express our deepest solidarity with Michigan’s Jewish community and with the families of the children who attend Temple Israel’s school. This outrage is the latest in a series of violent attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions throughout the world, a number of which have resulted in the murder of innocents. These acts are the direct result of antisemitic indoctrination that has become ubiquitous in our schools and on social media. Slander of the Jewish People or the Jewish State has deadly consequences, and we must call out and condemn such slander for being the despicable Jew-hatred it is. IAC is grateful to the local, state, and federal law enforcement officials who rushed to the scene of this attack and who act every day to protect us all. We call on all elected leaders throughout the country to condemn in unequivocal terms all expressions of antisemitism, including anti-Zionism, and to take immediate and concrete action to ensure the safety of our Jewish communities.”
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Orthodox Union: “Once again, a house of worship has been shattered by an act of violence intended to kill Jews. We are outraged and shaken by the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Our prayers are with the security guard who was injured while protecting the community, and we pray for his full and speedy recovery. The swift actions of those on the scene helped prevent what could have been a far more tragic outcome. This incident is a stark and frightening reminder that Jewish institutions across the United States continue to face serious and persistent threats, and the escalating hateful rhetoric in the public discourse puts a target on the backs of all Jews. Enough is enough. The time has come for our elected officials and people of good conscience to stand up and demand action, including sufficient funding for security at Jewish institutions. We express gratitude to federal and local authorities and private security guards across the country for standing between us and those that intend to harm us.Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Detroit Jewish community today.”
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California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco): “Today’s violent attack against Temple Israel synagogue in Michigan — while the synagogue’s day school was in session — is horrific and yet another instance of antisemitic violence directed against American Jews. We’re experiencing an explosion of hate crimes and other hate incidents targeting Jews across our country, fueled by a massive increase in antisemitic rhetoric online, in our schools, and in our communities generally. Antisemitism is methodically being normalized in our country, and that normalization leads directly to violence against Jews. American synagogues are now regularly targeted by extremists, thus normalizing synagogues as venues to direct antisemitic hate. Antisemitism is frequently referred to as the ‘oldest hatred,’ because it never goes away and always rears its ugly head in societies across the planet and across the millennia. And when antisemitism surges, it quickly spreads to hatred and violence directed at other groups as well. Our country must reject antisemitism in all its forms and must do so clearly and emphatically.”
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World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, president: “The attack today at Temple Israel in Michigan is not an isolated event. In recent weeks, synagogues in Canada have come under fire. A bomb was detonated outside a synagogue in Liège, Belgium. Incendiary devices were thrown outside Gracie Mansion in New York by ISIS sympathizers. These are not random events. They are acts of terror aimed squarely at western and Judeo-Christian values. The rise of antisemitic acts targeting Jews is part of the same war on those values. That no lives were lost in these attacks is nothing short of miraculous. But miracles and complacency will not keep our communities safe. Bondi Beach showed how deadly such attacks can be. If leaders don’t act quickly, democracy and society as we know it are at risk of total collapse.”
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World Zionist Organization, Yaakov Hagoel, chairman: “The reality in which Jews are attacked simply for being Jewish is a grave warning sign to the entire world. Antisemitism no longer remains confined to words. Today, once again, it is translating into violence and terror against synagogues and Jewish communities. The World Zionist Organization is in close contact with the leadership of the Jewish community in Michigan and will stand by them and assist in any way required. The free world must not tolerate antisemitic terror. My heart is with the Jewish community at this difficult time.”
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Zionist Organization of America, Morton Klein, president: “Almost every day we witness yet another outrageous attack on a Jew or a Jewish institution in the United States and around the world. This intolerable surge in antisemitism cannot be ignored, minimized, or explained away. We call upon every member of Congress to unequivocally condemn these antisemitic assaults and the vile Israel-bashing that so often fuels and legitimizes hatred of Jews. Silence and equivocation in the face of such hatred only embolden the perpetrators. We also urge every member of Congress, as well as President Trump and Vice President Vance, to publicly and forcefully condemn those prominent voices who traffic in reckless Israel-bashing and rhetoric that inflames hostility toward Jews, specifically figures such as Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens. When influential personalities spread distortions and hostility toward the Jewish state, they help create an atmosphere in which antisemitism thrives. At the same time, our leaders must have the courage to speak honestly about the role that radical Islamist ideology and extremist imams have played in fomenting antisemitic hatred and violence. Pretending otherwise does nothing to protect Jewish communities. America’s leaders must clearly and unapologetically denounce these bigoted forces and make it unmistakably clear that decent Americans are repulsed by such hatred. If this moral clarity is not shown now, the danger to Jewish communities will only grow more severe.”
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World