Thoughts on the Thwarted Terrorist Attack at a Synagogue Outside Detroit

This afternoon there was a terrorist attack at Temple Israel, a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township which is about 25 miles northwest of Detroit.

The attacker drove his truck into the facility which also houses a school and a community center. The assailant then left the vehicle with a rifle and set a portion of the building ablaze. Fortunately, there were no fatalities among students and staff. One member of the Temple's security team sustained injuries but the terrorist was shot and killed.

While there is much one can criticize about the current direction of the FBI particularly on the question of fomenting anti-Semitism, the local office in Detroit did conduct an active shooter prevention and awareness training session this past January. I have little doubt this was crucial in preventing the loss of life today.

In recent months, there have been several attacks at other religious institutions in Michigan. In June 2025, a deacon at a church in Wayne used his vehicle to thwart a man wielding a rifle from injuring congregants as a Bible study class was going on inside the facility. The following month, four people were killed at a LDS church in Grand Blanc Township by an anti-Mormon zealot. The church was burned down in the process.

Nevertheless, in the wake of resurgent anti-Semitism since October 7th and amplified by the joint U.S.-Israel military campaign in Iran, it will be Jewish institutions and Jewish gatherings that will be most vulnerable to these attacks as demonstrated at the Capital Jewish Museum last May and at a march in solidarity with Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado last June

As of this writing, the now deceased assailant has not been identified. Whether the source of inspiration for the attack was white supremacy or Islamic fundamentalism, there is an anti-Semitic rot in this country which has escalated into violence. 

Because of this anti-Semitic rot, Jewish institutions have had to prepare themselves for such attacks as was the case with Temple Israel. While it is good Temple Israel took the steps necessary to prepare for the worst, it is also evidence that the standing of Jews in this country has diminished considerably since the October 7th attacks. 

I suspect that as time goes on anti-Semitism will be increasingly tolerated. With such tolerance for intolerance, fewer government agencies will be willing to assist Jewish communities in protecting themselves. In which case, the Jewish community could find itself in a familiar place - on our own.