Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer condemns Temple Israel attack, calls to lower 'rhetoric' of antisemitism

Kara Berg, The Detroit News on Mar 13, 2026

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WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called on Michiganians to "lower the rhetoric" of antisemitism in the state and the country less than 24 hours after a man drove his truck into a West Bloomfield Township synagogue and opened fire.

"Yesterday’s attack was antisemitism. It was hate. Plain and simple," Whitmer said Friday morning, speaking at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield. "We will fight this ancient and rampant evil, we will stand together as we do it, and we will call it out. ... We must lower the rhetoric in the state and in the country, especially in this moment where we’ve seen such a rise in antisemitism."

Whitmer said while Temple Israel is a place of worship, at the time of the attack Thursday, it was a school. About 140 children attend Temple Israel's school.

"This could’ve looked a lot more like Sandy Hook. Let's not lose sight of that," Whitmer said. "This is targeting babies who are Jewish. That’s antisemitism at its absolute worst."

Ayman Ghazali, 41, a restaurant worker in Dearborn Heights, is accused of driving his truck into the synagogue just after noon Thursday and opening fire, before he was shot and killed by security

Ghazali, a native of Lebanon, was granted U.S. citizenship more than 10 years ago, under the Obama administration, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He entered the U.S. through Detroit on May 10, 2011, on an immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, a DHS statement said. He applied for naturalization on Oct. 20, 2015, and was granted citizenship on Feb. 5, 2016.

Only the security guard who stopped Ghazali was injured; police said all of the kids and teachers were safe.

The attack is being treated as a "targeted" act of violence against the Jewish community, the FBI said.

Whitmer spoke along with Temple Israel Rabbi Arianna Gordon, U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, and West Bloomfield Township Supervisor Jonathan Warshay moments after she was briefed by police about updates on the investigation. She did not share information about the updates she received.

"This community is on the edge, very understandably," Whitmer said. "We’ve seen a rise in attacks, especially over the last decade. Especially over the last 10 months. It's important for us to stand up, to stand against it and to thank the people who showed up to support the community, but also call out where we see acts of antisemitism, where we see threats."

Slotkin, who is Jewish, said she spent a lot of time growing up in and out of Temple Israel. She echoed Whitmer's statements and said it's important that people call out antisemitism when they see it.

"If they (the security at Temple Israel) had not all done their jobs almost perfectly, we’d be talking about an immense tragedy here today, with children gone. This could have been much much worse," Slotkin said. "Whether antisemitism is coming from the left or the right, whether it's coming from some group you like or don’t like, you have a responsibility to call it out. Because when you don’t, it gives permission for people to climb that escalation, that ladder of escalation, that goes from saying hateful things online, to saying them in person, to graffiti to ultimately violence."