On Thursday a truck plowed into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, before the driver was killed in a gunfight with security guards. The assailant, identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41‑year‑old naturalized citizen born in Lebanon, drove through the lobby and ignited a fire. Guards’ rapid response limited casualties to the attacker alone.

Synagogues have responded by pouring resources into protection. The Jewish Federations of North America estimates the community now spends $765 million annually on security, roughly 14 percent of a typical organization’s budget. Federation chief Eric Fingerhut calls this a “Jewish tax” and urges Congress to allocate federal aid for safeguarding worship spaces.

Antisemitic incidents have surged, with the ADL recording