ADL Southwest

Seeing the images and reports from Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, MI and hearing that, once again, Jewish spaces are on lockdown and high alert is all too familiar. And yet you never get used to it.   My heart is with the entire Temple Israel community — those who were inside Temple Israel; those waiting desperately for word about their children and other loved ones; and all those watching this unfold with dread and sorrow. This is a shul that I have visited. I have colleagues and friends who belong to the synagogue. They should not have to live in fear. No community should have to live in fear.   And yet, here we are, again.   @ADL is monitoring the situation closely. Our local staff is on the ground and in touch with law enforcement and the Jewish community in the Detroit area. We are grateful that no one in the synagogue was killed and we pray for the swift recovery of the security officer who was injured in the attack.   Beyond Detroit, our teams are coordinating with other Jewish communities across the country who are on high alert. Analysts with our Center on Extremism are attempting to understand whether there are any extremist links associated with this attack and are monitoring how this incident is being framed online in social media and beyond. We will share more information as we obtain it.   But this did not happen in isolation. In recent months, we have seen a series of attacks of synagogues - Wilshire Blvd Temple (Los Angeles, CA), Congregation Beth Israel (Jackson, MS), Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Canada), Beth Avraham Yoseph (Toronto, Canada), and Shaarei Shomayim Congregation (Toronto, Canada). These were all real-world acts of violence. Now we add Temple Israel to a list that should not exist.   Antisemitism has surged in recent years. Jewish institutions have been vandalized and violated again and again. Synagogues are not targets; they are houses of prayer, community and refuge. Enough. This has to stop.   We stand with our brothers and sisters in West Bloomfield. We stand with Jewish communities across Michigan and around the world. We stand with all people of good faith who refuse to accept a world where communities live in fear.

The 2026 ADL Campus Report Card shows progress is possible: of the 135 schools we assessed last year, 47% of them went up either one or two letter grades this year. Of the 150 total schools assessed in this year's Report Card, the percentage of schools earning A/B grades jumped from 23.5% to 58% in 2 years. But with our new campus climate survey showing 48% of non-Jewish students are witnessing or experiencing anti-Jewish bias, we can't stop now. Read more: adl.org/resources/pres…

This week, Texas observes Holocaust Remembrance Week—a time to honor the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and reflect on the lessons of that tragedy that should inspire action against antisemitism and hate. Explore additional resources here: thgaac.texas.gov/learning/hrw

This weekend, the largest synagogue in Mississippi was targeted in an arson attack. This isn't an isolated incident. It's part of a surge in antisemitic violence. Hundreds of houses of worship need protection and aren't getting it. Tell your Members of Congress to increase security grants to protect synagogues: action.adl.org/a/500-ngsp-1?s…