JANUARY 27 • 2022 | 17

started a school security
program and focused on
agencies serving children.
In recent years, Federation
has additionally helped
agencies apply for National
Department of Homeland
Security grants and offered
grant-matching programs to
help synagogues improve their
security. And when it comes to
responding to incidents like the
one recently in Texas, Detroit’s
community also relies on close
relationships with local, state
and federal law enforcement,
Sikorski says.
“We have tried to position
ourselves and the Jewish
community in Detroit at
an even, consistent level
of security awareness,” he
explains. That means when
there’s a quieter period,
people may wonder why these
measures are in place, but
when there’s a spike, they’re
glad it’s there.
“Incidents like [those
at synagogues in Texas,
Pittsburgh and Poway,
California] tend to increase the
community’s awareness,” he
says. “On any given Shabbat,
something could happen, and
we need to be prepared for
that.”
Over the years, Federation,
local police departments and
other community organizations
have offered active assailant
response training, with special
training sessions taking place
around the High Holidays.
Sikorski says this training
often extends to congregation
members as well as staff at
synagogues and also at schools.
“There’s been a lot of
community training and we
expect this will spur more,”
Sikorski says.

ANTISEMITIC BAROMETER
From the standpoint of
understanding incidents in
a broader context, there’s
been a move toward looking

at incidents, such as what
happened in Texas, collectively
— instead of as stand-
alone, isolated occurrences.
That necessitates keeping
a barometer on antisemitic
incidents and considering
them as data points reflective
of the sentiment in a commun-
ity or an area, Sikorski says.
Recognizing antisemitic
incidents and not letting them
be minimized is a big part
of that process, says Carolyn
Normandin, Michigan regional
Anti-Defamation League
director. She says that while
the FBI attributed
the standoff to
terrorism, an
FBI agent in
Dallas shortly
after the standoff
stated that the
hostage-taker
was “singularly
focused on one issue” that
was not related to the Jewish
community.
“This was really not helpful,”
she says. “The FBI quickly
rectified the agent’s statements,
but, unfortunately, people who
want to downplay antisemitism
in this country seized on the
agent’s comments, and that is
troubling.”

Antisemitism has been going
up steadily in Michigan for
several years, she says, pointing
to ADL statistics that show an
increase of 240% in the state in
the last five years.
“This rise in antisemitism
didn’t happen yesterday or the
day before,” she says. “This
particular incident [in Texas]
is a really painful reminder
that synagogues in America
continue to be at risk, and
there’s no doubt, given what we
know so far, that the synagogue
was targeted.”
In additon to the fact it
happened at a synagogue, the
incident in Texas also reflects
a dimension of antisemitism
related to the idea of a Jewish
conspiracy and the myth
of Jewish power. It suggests
Jews have a disproportionate
amount of influence over
government and also that Jews
“control the world” in ways
that give them the ability to get
immediate results.
“He believes in the notion
that Jews are powerful,” WSU’s
Lupovitch says of the Texas
hostage-taker. “He believes
in the idea that Jews can
wield influence. He went to a
synagogue and asked a rabbi
to call another rabbi. This way

of buying into Jewish power
and privilege is in itself an
antisemitic trope.”
Detroit’s Jewish communal
organizations came together
Jan. 15 to address the Texas
hostage situation, ADL’s
Normandin says. “On a sleepy
Saturday in January … we
start activating phone trees
and making sure people we
know do work in this area start
engaging.”
That meant connecting
Cytron-Walker’s local
family with resources and
also making sure local, state
and federal law enforcement
had extra patrols at several
weekend Jewish community
events “out of an abundance of
caution,” she says.
And while the FBI’s
Joint Terrorism Task Force
and others continue the
investigation, so, too,
community organizations
will continue to improve their
collaboration and educate
others about antisemitism.
“I think it’s really important
for Jewish community leaders
and Jewish citizens to help
everyone they know be allies
in [fighting] this horrible trend
of the rise of antisemitism,”
Normandin says. “We must
continue to call this out and
seek solutions for this rise in
hatred, specifically against us
as Jews.”
That includes recognizing
the role individuals can
play when those they know
or others make antisemitic
comments. It’s tough to tell
people that what they’re saying
is offensive, she says, but
calling it out is crucial.
“
Antisemitism is way
underreported,” she says. “We
have to report incidents so we
have good data. We have to
call people out even when it’s
uncomfortable for us.”

Contributing Writer Stacy Gittleman add-

ed to this story. Contributing Editor Keri

Guten Cohen coordinated this report.

You Can Fight Antisemitism

Anti-Defamation League suggestions:
• Speak out against antisemitic jokes and slurs.
Silence can send the message that such humor and
derogatory remarks are acceptable.
• Donate money to organizations that fight
antisemitism.
• If you encounter an antisemitic website, contact
the Anti-Defamation League (adl.org) and/or the site’s
host carrier to complain and request that the site be
taken down.
• Report to the college administration and/or ADL,
any incidents of antisemitism that violate campus
diversity or harassment codes.
• Lobby public officials to take actions and make
statements against antisemitism.

For more ideas to fight antisemitism, go to bit.
ly/33Xk6p6 and adl.org/media/14082/download.

Carolyn
Normandin

ADL