Thursday, March 12, was a normal day at Temple Israel for preschool teacher Sydni Rotenberg until she heard a car alarm very close by, “almost too close… it sounded like it was in the building”.
At 12:20 pm, Temple Israel in West Bloomfield was attacked by an armed man as he drove his pickup truck through the temple and into a hallway right outside the preschool classrooms. The 41 year old man, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, opened fire with a rifle. The building also caught on fire due to the truck being filled with explosives.
Within minutes, a fleet of police cars, helicopters, fire trucks, the FBI, and ambulances were on the scene. Schools around Oakland County went into lockdown or shelter-in-place, including Berkley, due to the unknown nature of what occurred. Nobody knew if this was the only attack or if the shooter was working alone. This tragedy made headlines all over the world, but Temple Israel teacher Sydni Rotenberg recalls what it was like to live through the attack.
Rotenberg has been teaching since she was 18 and has been deeply involved in the Jewish community throughout her life. Rotenberg described Temple Israel as her “second home”. March 12 felt like any other day as her “kids were eating lunch,” and all of a sudden she heard a car alarm, but something felt off, “it was really close,” and that’s when she realized “it was definitely in the building, right next to [her] room”.
Right away, a Pre-K class ran down the hall yelling, “Oh my god, someone just drove into the building”. Without knowing what was really going on, Rotenberg “had this feeling and closed the door”. The Temple had a variety of safety measures, including blackout shades, a night lock, and a metal bar to block the door, all of which were put to use right away. Following their lockdown procedures, “all kids barricaded in a corner, but still, [nobody] knew if it was a bad person”. To get more information, they called the front office over the intercom and the secretary frantically said “I’m ok, you need to go on lockdown”. Rotenberg and her class of 16 children had no clue what was happening; she focused on keeping her 16 students calm, assuring them that “it was a drill and that they would all be okay”.
Despite the attack ensuing right outside their door, “for some reason”, Rotenberg and the two other teachers in the room “felt so safe”. Since the car crashed “steps from [their] room”, they could hear all of the police and security outside the door, giving them a sense of comfort even though they could hear gunfire. Rotenberg “knew something bad was happening once [they] heard the six or seven gunshots”. She explained, “I tried texting my mom, who was on the other side of the school, but the internet was so spotty because of how many dispatchers there were.” Still, Rotenberg and the other teachers did not know what was going on until she received a text from someone she used to babysit who had seen the news reports. Rotenberg’s only instinct was to “protect the kids”.
Hundreds of first responders and security team members were on scene immediately to neutralize the attacker and help teachers and children out of the building. Rotenberg shared, “When the police came to get us, my class was the first one besides the whole wing of babies.” The truck had rammed through the doors right next to both Rotenberg’s classroom and the baby wing. She continued, “If he had been any more to the right, he would have plowed right through [the babies].”
Not to worry the kids, Rotenberg told them that “in a few minutes there will be some really nice police officers that come in here and they’re probably going to have you put your hands in the air and just walk out, please turn on your listening ears”.
Seconds later, ten police officers and security guards were let into the room by another teacher. Rotenberg could smell the smoke as the officers entered. The kids were tired and confused, but Rotenberg had to stay strong, even though the kids could not grasp what was going on.
She explained, “I was shaking, trying not to let it show; we had to stay strong for them because they are kids, and as much as it’s scarring for an adult, this is something that would stay with these kids forever.”
Once the first responders made it to the room, they carried all of the children out and loaded them into an ambulance. The children, still unaware of the danger, found the ambulance ride exciting. Afterward, they were taken out of the ambulance, and they ran down a hill into a neighbor’s garage, where they were given water and blankets. Police officers went around the garage trying to keep everyone calm while the kids sang the Wheels on the Bus. Coincidentally, the preschoolers had just finished a unit on community helpers, so Rotenberg told them they were going on a community helpers field trip.
Soon after, buses arrived to take everyone from the garage across the street to Shenandoah Country Club. Some classes were already there because, based on their location in Temple Israel, it was quicker to go straight to Shenandoah. They still had no idea what was happening, but they all “went running towards Shannenodah because [the police] were assuring us that [they] were safe”.
When Rotenberg walked into Shenandoah, she was shattered. She claimed, “I’ll never forget seeing those parents’ faces, waiting for [their kids] to walk in, or the feeling of handing the baby I had in my hands to her mom.”
So many parents were anxiously waiting for their children, not knowing if they were okay. Rotenberg recognized this, and if their kid was in the garage, she told the parents their kid was safely on the way.
Rotenberg described, “There were lots of tears, finally I saw my mom, it was such a relief, in that moment I felt like that was, hopefully, finally the end.” So many emotions were flooding the room, and everything happened so fast, but Rotenberg vividly remembers the overwhelming presence of police officers and first responders, and that’s when she realized, “oh my god, this is real, this just happened.”
While at Shenandoah, the Jewish Federation provided food and toys for the kids. During this time, each group of kids was doing a different activity to keep them calm and busy. Thankfully, everybody was safe and accounted for, but not everything was recovered right away, as all belongings remained inside the building.
All belongings had to be collected from the Jewish Community Center. Rotenberg recalled the moment when she saw “the little backpacks with [the kids’] names embroidered on them with their little coats and stuffed animals next to [the backpacks]”. Reflecting on it, she said, “It puts in perspective seeing how many little lives and just lives were affected by this”. Stories like Rotenberg’s are important to hear because “unfortunately, there are people who are still saying it didn’t happen”.
This event broke many hearts, especially those of the Metro Detroit Jewish community, because of how prominent Temple Israel is in their lives. Temple Israel is the largest reformed temple in the U.S. and Rotenberg added, “It is home to so many people.” This statistic is important because whether a member there or not, all Jews “have some sort of connection” to the temple.
According to Steve Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, Temple Israel’s size, scope, and programming make it a center for Jewish life in the region. Temple Israel’s size allows it to be a place of worship and home to many within the Metro Detroit Community.
Temple Israel is considered a safe space for many, so it stays well prepared for tragedy to protect its congregants, especially as antisemitism has become more prominent and normalized since Oct. 7, 2023. Rotenberg explains that “[the teachers] went off impulse based on what [they] were trained to do, and it saved lives”. If the teachers were not trained, the outcome would have likely been different. The security was also extremely well-trained, as they expertly handled the situation. Security guard Danny was hit by the car, but recovered. Rotenberg expresses amazement that “he walked away from it”.
Rotenberg highlights the security team, saying, “they were the reason we were able to walk out of it”. She feels that in the news, the security team’s hard work and dedication were overlooked, alongside the teachers’ calmness and efficiency. She claims, “We are just regular people, we didn’t realize the impact we were making, but we saved lives.” She continues, “On instinct, we cared for all these little lives before we even thought of ourselves.” While the first responders and security guards saved the lives of many, news outlets overlooked how the teachers truly saved lives as well.
Ingber feels that another thing the news overlooked was the fact that the attacker “simply came to kill Jewish American children”. Ingber touches on the fact that “the news used selective reporting when they said that Temple Israel is a zionist temple”. Although the temple supports Israel, Ingber feels it was unfair to share that in the news to make it seem like that was the attackers only reason for his attack. News headlines are emphasizing that this is in relation to the conflict in Israel but Ingber explains, “None of those people in that building would vote in Israel. 0-5 year olds don’t control Israeli policy.” With this being said, Ingber stresses, “ .”
The war in the Middle East is halfway around the world, but many Jews, including Rotenberg, feel the impact of global conflicts on their community. She touches on this and states, “Everything that is happening around the world has a negative impact on us. I am not Israeli. I am not a terrorist, but I still got attacked.” Rotenberg, along with the Metro Detroit community, heavily felt the weight of antisemitism on March 12. Rotenberg goes on, “Just because there is hate in the world does not mean innocent people need to be targeted. We did nothing, we had a completely regular day.” The immense pain the community has felt since is apparent, Ingber shares, “we’ll get up and be stronger, and we’ll continue to be loud and proud to be Jewish.” Both Rotenberg and Ingber emphasized that the Jewish community has grown stronger through solidarity. Rotenberg explains, “This is what I love about being Jewish; the community is so strong.”
Ingber agrees when he expresses the size of the Jewish community in comparison to its strength. He explains that “the Jewish community has been around for thousands of years and will continue to be”.
The antisemitic act did not “shock or surprise” Ingber, as this is just one of many attacks on the Jewish community. Jews around the world are connected, Ingber emphasizes, “We’re all in this together, an attack on the Jewish community is an attack on all Jews.” In order for tragedies like this one to stop, Ingber stresses, “We need to call out antisemitism everywhere and anywhere we see it. It’s not a political issue; it’s a human issue. Let this be a wakeup call.”
