The following was an Op-ed Jason Moss, our Executive Director, wrote following Thursday’s attack on Temple Israel in Michigan. It was published online and in this past Sunday’s edition of various Southern California News Group papers.

The new assaults on synagogues in our nation

There is a question that has been swirling around in my head for the last several years, and I am struggling to figure it out. The question is “What has the Jewish community done to deserve, let alone warrant, the frequency or types of attacks that have targeted Jewish institutions or Jews across the country?” Take your time… I’ll wait while you try and come up with an answer.

Jewish tradition and teachings espouse the values of making the world a better place (the concept of tikkun olam), welcoming the stranger, not separating yourself from the community, and recognizing that we are all created in the image of the divine. And of course, do unto others as you would have done unto you. These ideals are the bedrock of our religions.

The FBI has reported that although Jews only make up around 2 percent of the U.S. population, reported single-bias anti-Jewish hate crimes comprised 16 percent of all reported hate crimes and nearly 70 percent of all reported religion-based hate crimes in 2024. Here in LA County, in 2024, 80% of all religious-based hate crimes targeted Jews.

What we witnessed on Thursday at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township is the FIFTH synagogue attacked this month. It is just the latest incident that was perpetrated to inflict pain and suffering on the Jewish community. Thankfully, Thursday’s attack was thwarted before it became a mass casualty event like has happened in other places.

As a result of the rise in antisemitism and anti-Jewish rhetoric, which now must be considered a crisis, Jewish institutions have been forced to pay what the Jewish community has come to see as a “Jewish tax” in order to secure our Jewish institutions.

Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, told Congress last year that the Jewish community's security costs total $765 million annually. Despite these expenditures and numerous safety trainings, the community remains a target.

Houses of worship exist for people to gather together to pray and celebrate their faith with others. Unfortunately, because the Jewish community has become the target of the level of hatred we are seeing play out every day, synagogues and Jewish institutions have been forced to establish a security posture that rivals a fortress. There are children now who have grown up never having been to a synagogue or Jewish school without an armed security guard, police presence, or some sort of alarm/gate (usually all 3). The fact that some adults still remember the name of their synagogue’s security guard is not only wrong but is unconscionable.

I, along with other Jewish leaders across the country, appreciate the hard work our local law enforcement agencies do each and every day to protect our community, and we value the ongoing partnerships we have developed with them.

More needs to be done to protect the Jewish community, and it cannot, nor should it, fall squarely on the Jewish community to have to protect itself. However, there is something we all can do to help.

The Jewish community—and other targeted groups—need people to stand up and call out hatred when they see it. You can help by intervening safely when you witness hate, call out hate when you see it shared online, and encourage respectful dialogue. Remember… words have power and increased hate rhetoric can and does motivate people to perpetrate hate filled actions like Thursday’s attack.

At this point, whatever answer you came up with to my opening question is irrelevant. The fact that I had to even ask you to consider it is what you should focus on. No people should be the target of this amount of hate for simply being who they are.