West Bloomfield Township — The Jewish War Veterans held a ceremony Sunday honoring those who rushed to the Temple Israel synagogue following an attack in March.
Officials said they did not want to rehash the moments of the attack but to offer their deepest thanks.
“What they did was incredible. … The attacker died but zero loss of life outside of that,” said Mark Weiss, commander in the Jewish War Veterans’ Michigan Department.
“I know they’ve been recognized on TV and in the newspapers for their efforts but … we felt it was necessary for us to show our appreciation,” he said.
Ayman Ghazali, 41, a restaurant worker in Dearborn Heights, is accused of driving his truck into the synagogue March 12 and opening fire before he was shot and killed by security.
The Jewish War Veterans and Temple Israel guests honored the officials at a luncheon at the Soul Cafe Sunday morning. Those honored included:
∎Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard
∎West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young
∎Danny Phillips, director of security at Temple Israel
∎Patrick Kattoo, president of the Board of Shenandoah
∎Perry Ohren
∎Rachel Levine, director of the Early Childhood at Temple Israel
∎Rabbi Josh Bennett from Temple Israel
∎Stephanie Edelson from the Temple Israel Executive Committee
Rabbi Jen Lader, who accepted an honorary award on behalf of Temple Israel, said it was heartbreaking that the attack on the synagogue was recently added to a list of “terrible events” in the last 10 years or more.
“Thank you to the Jewish War Veterans for this moment and for acknowledging March 12 and how significant that has been to our community,” Lader said. “I know that you have spent your lives defending the Jewish community and fighting against antisemitism and we join you in that effort.”
Young commended the synagogue and the wider community for its resilience in the wake of the attack.
Authorities said Ghazali launched his attack on the synagogue while more than 100 children were attending preschool. But within minutes after the attack, more than 600 members of law enforcement swarmed the synagogue from agencies across Metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Jewish War Veterans honor those who responded to Temple Israel attack
Reporting by Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Myesha Johnson, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
