Washington ― U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and other Michigan members of Congress denounced the attack on a Jewish temple in West Bloomfield Township on Thursday.
“The reports coming out of West Bloomfield are horrifying. I am praying for the safety of everyone at Temple Israel. No one should face violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship,” Tlaib, the Detroit Democrat, said in a social media post.
There was bipartisan condemnation and concern for the attack, which local and federal law enforcement are actively investigating. One suspect was killed by a security guard, according to a letter Temple Israel sent to its congregation.
Temple Israel described the attacker as a “terrorist gunman who was confronted and neutralized by our security personnel who are truly heroes.”
State Rep. Noah Arbit, a West Bloomfield Democrat, grew up attending Temple Israel and called the attack “our worst nightmare.”
“I have so much to say but right now my heart is with our entire TI and West Bloomfield community,” Arbit wrote on X.
“Antisemitism is a crisis and it is metastasizing. The relationship between hate speech and targeted violence is: cause and effect. The more anti-Jewish hate speech is normalized and mainstreamed, the easier it becomes for more people to view all Jews, collectively, as legitimate targets.”
Arbit and Rep. Samantha Steckloff, D-Farmington Hills, left the House floor abruptly Thursday as news of the attack spread to the state Capitol in Lansing. Both Metro Detroit lawmakers are Jewish.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, the only Jewish member of the Michigan delegation in Congress, told reporters on Capitol Hill that, “I know this place very well, grew up not far from there.”
“Law enforcement are still securing the scene. I’m not going to get ahead of the police. We have to listen to the warnings that they are putting out to the local community that includes friends and family of mine who are sheltering in place,” the Holly Democrat said.
Slotkin continued: “But I will just say everyone deserves the right to worship in peace. Everyone. And an act of antisemitism, an act of violence, of hate, should be treated to the fullest extent of the law. And I’m so sick of another one of these incidents, all the time, in my community, across the country. And I just — I think we need to acknowledge that we have a problem.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, called the situation “heartbreaking.”
“Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace. Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan.”
Authorities have not yet confirmed that the attempted attack was inspired by antisemitism.
A gunman rammed his car into a West Bloomfield Township synagogue Thursday afternoon and then opened fire on the temple, exchanging gunfire with security guards before he was killed. The shooting happened before 1 p.m. at Temple Israel at 5725 Walnut Lake Road, west of Orchard Lake Road and east of Drake.
The shooter is dead, a source who had been briefed on the investigation told The Detroit News. A temple security guard was injured in the exchange and taken to a local hospital for treatment. No other injuries had been confirmed as of 1:40 p.m., according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain of Bruce Township expressed relief and gratitude over that news in a social media post.
“Thank God the attempted attack at Temple Israel was stopped before it became a devastating tragedy,” the Republican lawmaker wrote. “I’m grateful for the brave security and law enforcement officers who acted swiftly to protect innocent lives. Antisemitic hatred has no place in America, and we must confront it wherever it appears.”
McClain also connected the incident to an ongoing funding lapse for the Department of Homeland Security, which she blames on Democrats.
“Week 4 of Democrats refusing to reopen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Today we saw a potential tragedy narrowly prevented at Temple Israel,” she wrote in a subsequent post.
She added: “Thank God for the brave law enforcement officers who stepped in and protected innocent lives. But make no mistake: when Democrats play politics and keep DHS shut down, our homeland is less secure. Reopen DHS!”
The Temple Israel synagogue sits in the district represented by Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham, who said Thursday that she was getting real-time reports like everyone else.
“To everyone in Michigan’s 11th district, continue to follow the guidance of local law enforcement,” Stevens said on social media. “To the Jewish American community in Michigan and beyond, we stand with you.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell, an Ann Arbor Democrat, said in a statement that the attack was “heartbreaking and horrific. I’m praying reports are true that there are no confirmed injuries. This kind of hate is unacceptable and happening too much. People of all religions deserve a safe space to worship.”
Rep. Tom Barrett, a Charlotte Republican, said he was praying for the safety of everyone in the area as law enforcement continued to work to secure the scene. “This type of hateful violence has no place in the United States and must stop immediately,” Barrett said.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, has championed a federal program that helps religious institutions, including synagogues, harden their security amid growing threats.
“My heart is with the families and everyone affected by the violence at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield,” Peters said in a statement. “I’m grateful for these first responders for their quick response. All Americans should feel safe where they pray, work, and live. Antisemitism has no place in our society and we all must come together to condemn this horrible violence.”
Rep. Tim Walberg, a Tipton Republican, said that attacking a place of worship is “despicable.”
“I firmly stand with the Jewish community in Michigan,” Walberg said on social media. “My prayers are with those on the scene at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield as we continue to receive updates.”
Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of White Lake Township, a Republican candidate for Senate, said Thursday’s attack should be “a wake up call.”
“We cannot allow antisemitic hate to fester and threaten lives. This is a sad, harsh reminder that we must remain vigilant and support the law enforcement dedicated to protecting our homeland,” Rogers said.
“I stand with our Jewish friends and neighbors across Michigan and the country. No one should have to fear for their lives in their place of worship.”
U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, an Ann Arbor Democrat, said he was “horrified” to hear about the incident Thursday. “This kind of violence has no place in our communities.”
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow of Royal Oak, another Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful, said she was grateful for the security guards and first responders “who ran toward danger so others could run away from it.”
“But gratitude is not enough. Relief is not enough. The trauma doesn’t end when the threat is contained. The fear doesn’t leave when the building is cleared,” McMorrow said in a statement. “The parents who dropped their kids off at that preschool this morning — our community, two miles from my husband’s synagogue, my own family’s, where my own daughter has laughed and played at Tot Shabbat — they will carry this with them. We all will. And we should be angry about that.”
Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish and was raised in West Bloomfield Township, said antisemitism “has no place in Michigan and cannot be tolerated … In moments like these, it’s more important than ever that we come together, stand with our neighbors, confront hate whenever it appears, and build stronger communities.”
Nessel grew up attending the nearby Temple Kol Ami, according to a 2019 profile in the Times of Israel.
Rep. John James, a Shelby Township Republican, said he was praying for the swift recovery of the security guard injured in the Thursday attack.
“In the face of this hateful act, Michigan stands united against antisemitism and all forms of violence,” said James, who is running for governor. “Our Jewish neighbors should be able to gather, pray, learn, and celebrate in safety and peace today and always. Grateful for law enforcement’s rapid response.”
Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Bloomfield Township, who is Jewish, said the West Bloomfield area is a hub of the Jewish community.
“It permeates throughout an entire community,” Moss said of Thursday’s attack. “It makes a community feel unsafe.”
Moss noted that lawmakers voted in 2023 to allocate $15 million to support security upgrades at Jewish institutions in Michigan. He added: “What a sad reality that we have to invest in Jewish security like this because THESE instances are predictable and possible in this atmosphere we live in.”
gschwab@detroitnews.com
mburke@detroitnews.com
Staff Writers Beth LeBlanc and Craig Mauger contributed.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Rashida Tlaib, Michigan lawmakers react to Temple Israel synagogue shooting
Reporting by Grant Schwab and Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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