(WXYZ) — Temple Israel shared photographs on social media on Thursday showing the devastation inside the building in the aftermath of the March 12 attack in West Bloomfield Township.
Watch Brett Kast's video report:
The images, taken by Emily Elconin, show charred pictures and walls in the hallway, broken glass and debris, and food still sitting out on kids' tables.
Along with the photographs, Temple Israel shared this message on social:
"We have chosen thus far not to make public photos of the devastation of our building. This week, several videos and photos have made their way into the media, which have caused considerable harm to the survivors of last week's attack. Today, we are sharing some images taken by our friend, Emily Elconin, to take back control of our narrative. We share these images because our community deserves to see our building through eyes of love, not through the lens of spectacle. This is our sacred space, and we will be the ones to tell its story.
To support Temple Israel’s rebuilding efforts, click to http://temple-israel.org/."
Rabbi Josh Bennett gave permission to 7 News Detroit to share the photographs.
You can view the rest of them below:
The Oakland County sheriff and local faith leaders held a press conference on Thursday afternoon about moving forward as a community and putting a stop to antisemitism.
"It seems like to me that anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic behavior has become normalized. Not here, not with us, not with our team, and not with law enforcement in Oakland County, but across the country, it's been allowed and that's unacceptable ... you see kids at colleges getting yelled at and bullied and even physically assaulted simply because they're Jewish. We as a community, we as a nation have to stand up. I don't care what party you're in. I don't care what job you're in, whether it's in public or private venue, we have to stand up and say no," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Watch Thursday's press conference in the video player below:
Sheriff Bouchard also addressed the response of law enforcement on March 12, saying more than 600 officers arrived to help.
"We're even getting complaints we sent too many people. Let me be clear, if we've got people in risk, we're sending whoever we need to send, and we're gonna take care of the situation and the threat, period. And if you think we sent too many people, turn off the TV. We're gonna send what we need to send to stop the threat, protect the people, and make sure the situation is made safe," said Sheriff Bouchard.
Just this week, Rabbi Jen Lader with Temple Israel, along with other Jewish leaders, were in Washington DC advocating for an antisemitism bill and for more security funding for all non-profits and houses of worship. Lader showed these same photos to a number of lawmakers, which in part inspired Temple Israel to make them public.
“That experience for me made it clear that we needed people to see them,” Lader said of the photos. "I’m hopeful the public, when they see these pictures, they'll have the same reaction that it's not OK, it's not OK for us to live like this.”
Related Coverage: West Bloomfield dispatchers describe initial moments of Temple Israel attack response
