22 | NOVEMBER 5 • 2020
O
n Oct. 29, state and
federal authorities
arrested the leader
and an “associate”
of a Michigan-based
neo-Nazi group
responsible for tar-
geting an Upper
Peninsula synagogue
with antisemitic graffiti.
A team of FBI agents arrested
Justen Watkins, 25, of Bad Axe,
self-proclaimed leader of The
Base, and Alfred Gorman, 35, of
Taylor, during a pair of raids.
The Base says it seeks to
impose a white
ethno-state on the
country. The group
has a presence in the
U.P
., where a mem-
ber spray-painted
hateful messages on Temple
Jacob, a congregation in
Hancock, in September 2019.
“The initial reaction is one
of thanks for the federal agents
and the continued work of the
FBI in monitoring these hate
groups and keeping us safe,
”
said David Holden, president of
Temple Jacob. “The vandalism
that happened at our synagogue
was quite shocking. I’
m glad to
see the FBI is continuing their
efforts to monitor these groups.
”
The Base is believed to have
emerged in mid-2018, with
member footprints in Maryland,
Delaware and Georgia.
“Using tactics of intimida-
tion to incite fear and violence
constitutes criminal behavior,
”
said Michigan Attorney General
Dana Nessel in a press release.
“We cannot allow dangerous
activities to reach their goal of
inflicting violence and harm on
the public.
”
Nessel’
s office charged the
men with felonies including
gang membership and using a
computer to commit a crime.
Richard Tobin, 18, of New
Jersey, was arrested for the
Temple Jacob vandalism in
November 2019 and for alleged-
ly ordering the vandalism of
two synagogues in other states.
At the time, Tobin allegedly
said he planned the attacks
as part of a nationwide cam-
paign he called “Operation
Kristallnacht,
” a reference to the
1938 pogrom.
The Base also terrorized a
Dexter family at their home in
December 2019, after wrongly
believing the family was associ-
ated with an Antifa member.
Watkins reportedly ran a
“hate camp” for the other mem-
bers of the group, where he led
“tactical and firearms training
for participants with the goal of
being prepared for the violent
overthrow of the government.
”
The arrests are unrelated to a
foiled kidnapping plot against
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
W
e Need to Talk,
a youth mental
health initiative of
Federation in partnership with
community agencies, launched
a community mental health
survey to better understand
how the Detroit Jewish commu-
nity can be supportive.
The survey, for youth and
those who work with youth, is
available via the We Need To
Talk website (www.wn2t.org)
and can be completed in 10
minutes or less. The survey is
open through November and
responses are completely anon-
ymous. Five participants will be
randonly selected to receive a
$50 Amazon gift card.
“In particular, we want to
help the youth in our commu-
nity who are really struggling
with their mental wellness
during this extremely chal-
lenging time,
” JFMD Senior
Planning Director Todd Krieger
told the JN.
According to experts, the
COVID-19 pandemic is respon-
sible for a significant increase in
mental illness.
The CDC published a study
in August showing that 25%
of young American adults (18-
25) who were surveyed in June
indicated that they had contem-
plated suicide as a result of the
pandemic.
Ashley Schnaar, Youth
Mental Health Coordinator for
JFMD, said the survey’
s goal is
“understanding what we can
be doing to support youth and
their parents and the profes-
sionals they’
re working with
right now, knowing that there’
s
increased isolation, people are
out of their normal routines,
and that it’
ll exacerbate people’
s
mental health.
”
The initiative began after
results of the Federation’
s 2016
Jewish Community Needs
Assessment showed that youth
were struggling with anxiety,
low self-esteem and sadness.
Federation took action and
formed a workgroup with
representation from agencies
throughout the community
to help improve youth mental
health.
“We want to really provide
that education in the com-
munity that people need, and
decrease the stigma associated
with mental illness,
” Krieger
said.
According to Krieger, the
survey will be used as a baseline
to understand where they are in
meeting objectives.
If you or someone you
know is considering suicide,
please contact the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text
“STRENGTH” to the Crisis
Text Line at 741-741.
JFMD
IN
THED
JEWS
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
Feds Arrest
Neo-Nazi Linked
to Michigan
Synagogue Graffiti
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID HOLDEN
A swastika painted
on the outside of
Temple Jacob in
Hancock, Mich.,
in 2019.
AntiSemitism
the
Project
Federation’s Youth
Mental Health Initiative
Launches Survey
DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER