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

