Soon after a man ran a vehicle into one of the largest Reform synagogues in the nation, Bill Humphrey initiated a protocol that has become all too familiar.
Humphrey is the director of community security with the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. Any time there is an attack on a Jewish community in the country, Humphrey’s job is to find out if there is any immediate threat to North Texas.
“Is it a coordinated attack? Is it going to come to Texas, to Dallas?” he asks himself.
That was not the case Thursday. And while security experts and Jewish community leaders expressed gratitude that security officers were able to stop the attack outside Detroit, it left Jewish Texans rattled and prompted further calls to strengthen security measures and emergency response protocols.
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Security officers at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit fatally shot a man, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, after he drove a vehicle through a hallway at the synagogue in what authorities say was a targeted attack, according to the Associated Press.
One security guard was injured by the vehicle and 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said. There were about 140 people present at the synagogue, including 106 children who attend an early childhood center. None were injured in the attack.
According to reporting by the Associated Press, Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen, lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon last week.
Robert French, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, was sitting in a meeting with local leaders and rabbis Thursday when he learned of the Michigan attack. Several leaders in the room followed the news on their phones as they discussed safety and security.
“Without what they had, without the armed guards, without the support, that could have been a very different story,” French said.
Hate crimes against religious-affiliated institutions in Texas, including those at churches, synagogues, temples and mosques, have risen in recent years, according to FBI data.
Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations D-FW chapter, said the group sends condolences to the victims and their families and encourages all places of worship, whether it be mosques, churches or synagogues, to tighten security.
“We pray that this violence will end and we listen to our better angels,” he said.
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The Jewish Federation works with about 80 local synagogues, community centers, Jewish schools and businesses to strengthen security.
If there is an imminent threat in North Texas, Humphrey said he can send emergency alerts to lock down or secure local facilities, and immediately contact state and local law enforcement.
Humphrey responded four years ago when four people were held hostage in Congregation Beth Israel, a Colleyville synagogue.
Humphrey and his team regularly conduct security reviews of buildings and campuses. The Federation then works with FEMA’s nonprofit security grant program to secure funding to strengthen security, such as by buying new security cameras or metal detectors.
The Federation also hosts safety training sessions for everyday Jewish community members.
French said they have increased the number of trainings the Federation puts on just in the last month in response to overwhelming demand. In December, 15 people were killed in an attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach in Australia.
The security measures are expensive. But just as challenging, places of worship have to walk the line between operating as a welcoming communal space as well as one that is safe from bad actors.
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“It’s a very delicate and fine balance, but clearly the safety and security lens has to be first and foremost,” Humphrey said.
The day before the Michigan attack, Joel Schwitzer, regional director of the American Jewish Committee of Dallas, said he was part of a call with U.S House and Senate members from Texas to discuss incidents of antisemitism over the past year, as well as advocate for federal legislation named the Pray Safe Act.
Introduced after four people were killed in an attack on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation in September, the legislation would create a centralized system for religious organizations to receive information about safety and security through the Department of Homeland Security. Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has signed on as a cosponsor to the bill.
“We have to go through several layers of security just to attend services, or to drop our children off at an early child care center, and this should be unacceptable,” Schwitzer said.
Later this month, the Jewish community will celebrate Passover, a holiday that commemorates the liberation of Jewish people from enslavement in ancient Egypt. In the spirit of the holiday, French said it’s important to not be cowed by attacks on places of worship.
“Our story of Passover,” he said, “is a story of resilience and strength.”