The FBI is investigating Thursday’s attack at a Detroit-area synagogue as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community,” though the attacker’s identity and motive remain unknown. A man armed with a rifle rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township and was fatally shot by security, with the vehicle subsequently catching fire and filling the building with smoke.
Synagogue Attack Under Investigation
Police say none of the synagogue’s staff, teachers, or the 140 children at its early childhood centre were injured during the incident. About 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation, according to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
Police say a suspected gunman who attacked a Detroit-area synagogue with a vehicle is dead and that one security guard was injured during the incident. Police added that security exchanged gunfire with the suspect but did not say how the suspect died.
Bouchard said the attacker drove through a set of doors and into the hallway, at which point something in the vehicle ignited. Investigators are still working to identify the man and determine a possible motive.
Largest Reform synagogue
Temple Israel identifies itself as the nation’s largest Reform synagogue, with 12,000 members, according to its website. The synagogue offers educational programs for families and adults in addition to its early childhood education centre.
The synagogue’s website states it is “passionate about helping Jewish communities across the globe” and aims to “create a community building through the lens of Reform Judaism.”
Temple Israel released a statement confirming that no one was physically harmed in the attack, including the 140 students in the early childhood learning centre. The statement credited security personnel who “confronted and neutralized” the driver, and said teachers used established protocols to keep the children safe.
The synagogue also expressed gratitude for the Michigan community, including the Shenendoah Country Club, which sheltered and fed staff, children, and parents following the attack. “What incredible neighbours we have. What incredible police force we have,” the message read.
Heightened security
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the attack “heartbreaking” in a statement. “Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace,” she said.
Jewish organizations throughout the United States have been operating under heightened security since U.S. and Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28, intensifying the war across the Middle East.
“We’ve been talking for two weeks about the potential, sadly, of this happening. So there was no lack of preparation,” Bouchard said on CNN. “All Jewish facilities in the area are going to have a lot of extra presence around it until we figure this out.”
“Antisemitism has no place in Michigan and cannot be tolerated,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “In moments like these, it’s more important than ever that we come together, stand with our neighbours, confront hate whenever it appears, and build stronger communities.”
Three synagogues in Ontario have been shot at in the past week — two in North York and one in Vaughan. No one was injured.
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, a survivor of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, said the Michigan attack demonstrates the consequences of hatred. “We lose our humanity when we seek violent means as a solution,” Myers said in a statement. “No one should dwell in fear because of who they are.”
Myers is rabbi of the Tree of Life Congregation, where 11 worshippers from three congregations were killed in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. The gunman is now on death row.
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