So, here’s the letter that my synagogue sent out last night (edited to remove the name of the synagogue for privacy reasons):
We hold in our hearts the Detroit Metro Jewish community after the horrific attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan earlier this afternoon. We have been in touch with our colleagues on the ground, and while everyone is okay physically, the community is experiencing heightened anxiety and fear. Antisemitism and violence should have no place in our world. The shock and pain of our siblings in Michigan resonate throughout the greater Jewish community. As our tradition teaches, when even one of our people is harmed, the entire Jewish people share in that hurt. As Am Echad (One People), we turn to one another and to our leadership for support and connection during these difficult times. At this time, there is no known immediate threat to our synagogue. We remain in close communication with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and local authorities and will continue to monitor the situation carefully. We are grateful each day for the blessing of our dedicated security personnel, and for the systems that allow us to gather in safety and comfort. Our community is here for you, and our clergy are available for care and counsel. Let us hold one another up as we stand in solidarity with our people in Michigan. Through our presence with one another, may we find the resolve and determination to continue living our lives proudly and joyfully, together.
And the thing is, we get one of these every couple of months. And they’re not form letters by any means, but at the same time they’re always the same – we’re saddened to hear about this latest attack, we stand as one with our siblings in the affected community, don’t worry we’re working with local law enforcement to make sure there’s no immediate threat to our building, please reach out if you need to talk.
And I hate it. I hate that I’ve seen this often enough that I can recognize the patterns to it. I hate that I wait for them after holidays and I hate that they also show up in between. I hate that they show up at all. I hate that I asked my husband yesterday, “Did you hear about Michigan?” and his only response was a very tired, “yeah….” There was nothing more to say. It’s all already been said, and I hate that it’s a conversation that’s been had so many times there’s just nothing left to add to it. I hate it.
And I hate that people outside of the Jewish community don’t care. I hate that they’ll call it a “false flag” or insist that a building with children in it is an acceptable target for “anti-Zionist” activity, or some other excuse. There’s always some excuse, and I hate that too. I wish that people could just look at a terror attack against my community and just say, “Hey, that’s fucked up. I don’t think people should do that,” and I hate that for some fucking reason they can’t.
Anyway, to all the people who keep insisting that rising antisemitism isn’t an issue, or that the Jews are over reacting, I genuinely hope that you never have to feel this way about attacks on your own community, but I also want you to understand that this hate is for you too.
