PRESS RELEASE
Mallory McMorrow Responds to Temple Israel Attack on MSNOW
MICHIGAN — Today, Mallory McMorrow, Michigan Senate Majority Whip and candidate for U.S. Senate, appeared on MSNOW to discuss yesterday’s attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, rising antisemitism in Michigan, and the steps communities and government can take to help prevent future attacks.
Key Excerpts
McMorrow on Shared Trauma and Community Healing
“It's not a left or right issue. It is an issue that impacts all of us. And I've spoken with community members, not only in the Jewish community, but in the Muslim community, in the Arab community, there is so much shared trauma about what is happening in the Middle East.
“We have to recognize that Michiganders are our neighbors, the people who live down the street from us are not our enemies. We are connected intricately, and it is going to take a lot of difficult work. It is the work that has been done for decades here on the ground between the two communities to come together across divides to heal so that we don't see anti semitism continue, that if there is anger and rightful anger about the horrors that we see happening in the Middle East, that the response is not to attack American Jews.
“These were 140 kids, babies. They have nothing to do with what is happening overseas, and we need to ensure that the community across the board here in Michigan has outlets to process trauma and that we recognize that we have each other here at home. That is the only way that we get through this.”
McMorrow on Protecting Faith Communities in Michigan
“I was speaking with a leader from Temple Israel this morning, she pointed out to me exactly those security measures, the many layers that have been put into place year over year. But she said to me, and I want to share with everybody, ‘we will never move forward unless we address the underlying causes’. That is the hate, that is the anger, and it's not going to be solved by pointing fingers at either side. It is going to be solved by coming together, recognizing that our community needs each other, across religions, across races.
“We have here in Michigan one of the largest and most active Jewish populations in the entire country, side by side with one of the largest and most active Muslim and Arab-American and Chaldean populations. We have to exist with each other so that we can get to a place where it doesn't cost hundreds of millions of dollars in security grants, just as your clip said, just for people to be Jewish, that is something that I certainly notice.
“When I walk into my husband's temple with my daughter. The first thing I notice are the security guards. We say hello, I know that they're there. And I want all of the members of our community to know that you are safe in Michigan, we will spend what it takes, we have in our state budget, but long term, we need to be looking forward at how we come together so that those investments are not necessary. That day is not today, but that has to be our goal.”
McMorrow on DHS Funding
“Democrats put a deal on the table to remove the security grant funding from DHS along with TSA, CISA and the Coast Guard to fund it with FEMA, because we can't lose sight of the fact that our community members are also demanding that ICE be completely overhauled from the ground up.
“While this is happening, there is also the reality that in Romulus, ICE outbid an automotive supplier to buy a warehouse to turn it into a detention center. I came together with many other elected officials and community members in Romulus who stood alongside their city council, who voted unanimously opposing this detention center.
“All of these things coexist at once. Michiganders are demanding that ICE get out of our communities, that they stop terrorizing our communities, our friends and neighbors. We see an agency that is not going after violent criminals, they are going after small business owners and parents and preschool teachers, and we need to ensure that houses of worship, especially in the Jewish community, are safe. Democrats put a solution to do both on the table, and it is unacceptable that Republicans refuse to come to the table and would rather weaponize people's fear and anxiety than actually bring a solution that accomplishes both.”