A response to the attack on Temple Israel. We must stand up against hate 

 

Editor’s Note: The following guest column appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on March 20

 

By Samuel Asher

Temple Israel of West Bloomfield, Michigan, is a great source of inspiration and pride for me. My father, Cantor Arthur Asher, was the education director there for close to two decades. He ran the temple’s religious school, one of the largest congregational schools in the country, and was beloved by the community. My father influenced many young people, helping shape their Jewish identities.

 

The vicious terrorist attack on Temple Israel on Thursday, March 12, felt like a bombing of my home. A terrorist rammed his truck through the front door of the synagogue and into the building, with a trunk full of explosives, moving past the nursery and preschool, heading toward the gym. More than 100 children were in the building at the time. How dare he desecrate this important and thriving center of Jewish family and community life?

 

Police vehicles sit outside the Temple Israel synagogue Friday, March 13, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. The terrifying truck attack on Temple Israel underscores the urgent need to confront rising antisemitism and protect all houses of worship from escalating hatred and violence, writes Samuel Asher.

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

 

It tears at my heart. Why are you attacking my home, which is a place of peace and love? Temple Israel was where I developed my Jewish identity as a teenager.

 

I was nurtured by the temple through participation in the NFTY Michigan youth group and by receiving a scholarship to study in Israel for six months as a foreign exchange student. My brother David was married there when the temple was still on Manderson Road in Detroit.

 

This just can't stand.

 

This terrorist, and many others like him, have been attacking innocent people for something that's going on overseas. The people being attacked have nothing to do with it. God bless the teachers, staff and security officials at Temple Israel who prevented any harm to the children and adults when that truck rammed into the front door.

 

This must stop.

 

There have been many other recent antisemitic attacks, including the assault on a synagogue-sponsored Chanukah party at Bondi Beach in Australia. The Anti-Defamation League reports the highest level of antisemitic attacks in America: a 344% increase over the past five years and an 893% increase over the past decade. This is the highest number recorded since the ADL began tracking this data in 1979.

 

We need to stand up against this hatred. The antisemitic and racist attacks against synagogues, mosques and churches are out of control. We need to ensure that everybody knows that houses of worship are sacred spaces. These are peaceful people gathering to pray. And they're not connected to what's going on overseas.

 

As the president and director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum, I work every day to stand up against all forms of hatred and bigotry. At the museum, we strive for a world without antisemitism, prejudice and genocide, inspired by the history and memory of the Holocaust and the enduring story of the Jewish people.

Law enforcement escort families away from the Temple Israel synagogue Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. 

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

 

During these challenging times, the Virginia Holocaust Museum serves as a resource for our community to learn about the history of the Holocaust and what can happen when societal norms break down, and specific groups of people are targeted for their race, religion or gender identity. More than 5,000 Virginia schoolchildren tour the museum every year. Hundreds of state and local law enforcement officers, military personnel and State Department officials attend educational programs at the museum to learn about history and hate crimes.

 

The museum also works with Virginia’s interfaith community to advance justice. Recently, I was honored to attend a meaningful iftar dinner at the West End Islamic Center during Ramadan. I represented members of the Jewish community who stand in peace and solidarity with Muslims, Christians and people of all faiths and of goodwill.

 

When hatred targets one house of worship, it threatens every house of worship. The attack on Temple Israel should be a wake-up call for all of us. We must be the canaries in the coal mine. We must scream like hell when these hateful acts are happening all around us. If we don’t speak out and stand together, we risk allowing fear and division to take root in our communities. We must tell our city, state and national officials that our society is breaking down, and we need to come together to fight all forms of hatred and bigotry.

 

We must stand up against hate.

 

Samuel Asher is president and executive director of the Virginia Holocaust Museum. The museum preserves and documents the Holocaust in exhibits and its archival collections. Through the permanent exhibits, educational programming and outreach, the museum employs the history of the Holocaust and other genocides to educate and inspire future generations of Virginians to fight prejudice and indifference. He can be reached at sasher@vaholocaust.org.