Jewish leaders and organizations responded to and condemned the ramming attack at a synagogue and Jewish preschool in Michigan today (Thursday).
The Israeli-American Council (IAC) stated: "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."
The Simon Wiesenthal Center stated that it "is closely monitoring reports of a violent incident at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, where authorities responded after a vehicle reportedly crashed into the synagogue and gunfire was reported. Our thoughts are with the congregants, families, and community members who were inside the synagogue or nearby at the time. We are grateful for the swift response of law enforcement and first responders who moved quickly to secure the area and protect lives."
"Jewish houses of worship must never become targets of violence or intimidation. This incident comes at a time when Jewish communities in the United States and around the world are facing a disturbing rise in antisemitic threats and attacks."
"The Simon Wiesenthal Center urges authorities to fully investigate this incident and determine whether antisemitic motives were involved. Jewish communities must be able to gather for prayer, education, and community life without fear. In moments like this, vigilance and solidarity are essential."
Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation Director General Jack Simony stated: “Temple Israel in West Bloomfield was built in 1941, as the Nazi murder machine began its systematic destruction of European Jewry. The Jews of Detroit raised its walls while Jews in Europe were being loaded onto trains. Today, someone tried to destroy it. A truck rammed the front doors. A gunman opened fire. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Holocaust survivors were evacuated from the preschool inside. Temple Israel’s own security stopped the attacker before he could do more. We honor them, and we are grateful everyone inside is safe."
"Thousands of Holocaust survivors rebuilt their lives in West Bloomfield after the war. In 1984, they opened the first free-standing Holocaust museum in the United States, steps from Temple Israel. They did not build a museum to the past. They built a warning about the future. Temple Israel is not just a synagogue. It is proof that Jewish life endures."
"At the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, we work in the place where the consequences of antisemitism are written in stone. We know how violence against Jews begins. It rarely begins with bullets. But when bullets come, the warning signs have already been ignored. Today’s attack is one of those warnings. It demands more than statements. The people who rebuilt Jewish life in West Bloomfield understood that the survival of a community is not an accident. It requires vigilance. Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren are still here. They are demanding accountability from every level of government, law enforcement, and civil society. So are we."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with Jewish leaders in Michigan following the attack and stated: “I just spoke with Jewish leaders in Detroit following the attempted attack on the Temple Israel synagogue to receive an update on the situation and to express our solidarity with the local Jewish community. I am relieved to hear that there were no casualties as a result of the attack. This is a grave and serious incident that follows a series of attacks on Jewish institutions around the world. Tonight, we send a message of strength and support from Israel to the Jewish community in Michigan."