6 | NOVEMBER 14 • 2024 J N 1942 - 2024 Covering and Connecting Jewish Detroit Every Week To make a donation to the DETROIT JEWISH NEWS FOUNDATION go to the website www.thejewishnews.com The Detroit Jewish News (USPS 275-520) is published every Thursday at 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Southfield, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send changes to: Detroit Jewish News, 32255 Northwestern Highway, #205, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48334 MISSION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will be of service to the Jewish community. The Detroit Jewish News will inform and educate the Jewish and general community to preserve, protect and sustain the Jewish people of greater Detroit and beyond, and the State of Israel. VISION STATEMENT The Detroit Jewish News will operate to appeal to the broadest segments of the greater Detroit Jewish community, reflecting the diverse views and interests of the Jewish community while advancing the morale and spirit of the community and advocating Jewish unity, identity and continuity. DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 32255 Northwestern Hwy. Suite 205, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 248-354-6060 thejewishnews.com Publisher The Detroit Jewish News Foundation | Board of Directors: Chair: Gary Torgow Vice President: David Kramer Secretary: Robin Axelrod Treasurer: Max Berlin Board members: Mark Davidoff, Michael J. Eizelman, Larry Jackier, Jeffrey Schlussel, Mark Zausmer Executive Director: Marni Raitt Alene and Graham Landau Archivist Chair: Mike Smith Founding President & Publisher Emeritus: Arthur Horwitz Founding Publisher Philip Slomovitz, of blessed memory The Detroit Jewish News Foundation Giving Society The Rebecca and Andrew Hayman Giving Fund Nancy and James Grosfeld The Honorable Bernard Friedman Editorial Director of Editorial: Jackie Headapohl jheadapohl@thejewishnews.com Contributing Editors: David Sachs, Keri Guten Cohen Senior Staff Reporter: Danny Schwartz dschwartz@thejewishnews.com Editorial Assistant: Sy Manello smanello@thejewishnews.com Digital Manager: Elizabeth King eking@thejewishnews.com Contributing Writers: Nate Bloom, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne Chessler, Shari S. Cohen, Louis Finkelman, Samantha Foon, Yevgeniya Gazman, Stacy Gittleman, Gary Graff, Esther Allweiss Ingber, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz, Steve Stein, Nathaniel Warshay, Julie Smith Yolles, Ashley Zlatopolsky Advertising Sales Director of Advertising: Keith Farber kfarber@thejewishnews.com Senior Account Executive: Kathy Harvey-Mitton kmitton@thejewishnews.com | Business Office Director of Operations: Amy Gill agill@thejewishnews.com Operations Manager: Ashlee Watkins Circulation: Danielle Smith Billing Coordinator: Pamela Turner | Production By Farago & Associates Manager: Scott Drzewiecki Designers: Kaitlyn Iezzi, Kelly Kosek, Michelle Sheridan S ix years ago, I knelt in Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life syn- agogue several days after the attack. It was still a crime scene. I felt the bullet holes in the walls. In the prayer books. I remember the blood. Several years before, a gunman ran through our New Jersey com- munity’s streets, firing at law enforcement next to Jewish schools and buildings. Explosive devices were left in our cemetery and at a synagogue. People with bad intent came to our facilities. As a New Jersey Federation exec, I helped build a strong and successful community security platform. But that’s not enough for what we need. As I step into my new role as CEO of the Community Security Service (CSS), the importance of this organi- zation and the work we do feels more critical than ever. CSS, the National Jewish Defense and Security Agency, was founded with the mission to pro- tect Jewish life and institutions across the United States, a mission that has grown even more essential as antise- mitic incidents become alarmingly frequent. What was once an occasion- al, isolated threat has now become an unfortunate and constant reality for Jewish communities nationwide. (Editor’s note: The Jewish Federation of Detroit provides for security through a local agency, Jewish Community Security Inc. JCSI is independent and not affiliated with the national CSS.) CSS has been preparing for this moment for nearly two decades, pro- viding essential training to help our community members enhance secu- rity and situational awareness. We’re seeing the results of that preparation every day, and it’s clear our work is a vital part of ensuring Jewish life can thrive safely in America. But recent incidents underscore just how urgent and pressing our work has become. A NEW REALITY OF THREATS These past few weeks alone, we witnessed horrific, targeted acts against Jewish individuals in two major American cities. In Chicago, a 39-year-old Jewish man walking to his synagogue on Shabbat was shot by an assailant shouting Allahu Akbar (“God is great” in Arabic). And in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. — a vibrant, Chabad-centered Jewish community — a slashing attack sent shockwaves through the neighborhood. These aren’t isolated incidents; they reflect a disturbing trend of rising antisemitic attacks in public spaces where Jews have every right to feel safe. We’re witnessing a surge in phys- ical assaults, acts of vandalism, and harassment in cities and neighbor- hoods previously thought to be safe havens for Jewish life. This increase extends beyond physical spaces, with antisemitic rhetoric proliferating online and often spilling over into real-world violence. Our campuses, neighborhoods and institutions are all affected. Hatred of Jews has, in many ways, been normalized, with incidents so frequent that they are no longer considered shocking. Dov Ben-Shimon JNS.org PURELY COMMENTARY opinion Why Security for the Jewish Community Is Needed Now More Than Ever