Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday said that an attack earlier this week on a West Bloomfield temple was “anti-Semitism — plain and simple.” File Photo by Andrew Harrer/UPI | License Photo
March 13 (UPI) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday thanked security personnel for risking their lives to thwart a potentially deadly attack on a temple this week.
Whitmer spoke at a news conference one day after a person drove a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., calling the attack “anti-Semitism at its absolute worst.”
Her comments followed the attack at the temple on Thursday, where more than 100 children were attending school at the time.
“I want to thank Temple Israel’s security personnel — they were selfless in their courage and they saved lives,” Whitmer said. “Let’s be very clear: Yes, this is a place of worship, but at the time that this attack occurred, it was a school. One hundred and four children aged 5 and younger.”
The attacker, according to police, drove through the doors of the temple and down a hallway “with purpose” when a fire started inside the vehicle.
A security guard was hit by the vehicle, but security guards also responded to the driver with gunfire and the driver died.
Temple Israel is one of the largest reform Jewish congregations in the country, Whitmer noted, attracting more than 1,000 people for Friday night Shabbat services.
“Parents bring their children to daycare and school, and it’s a place of peace, unity, light and life,” Whitmer said. “Yesterday’s attack was anti-Semitism. It was hate, plain and simple.”
“We will fight this ancient and rampant evil,” she said.
There has been an uptick in anti-Semitic incidents in recent years and, according to the American Jewish Committee, roughly 70% of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the United States are committed against Jewish people.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event celebrating Women’s History Month in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
