Adat Shalom Receives Hoax Bomb Threat Regular, in-person Shabbat services returned last week. DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER
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TOP: Shir Tikvah President Patty Rehfus, Director of Lifelong Learning Sarah Chisholm, Rabbi Alicia Harris and Executive Director Lorelei Berg.
Shir Tikvah during the pandemic summer of 2020. She held dozens of meetings with the staff and committees, “meet-and-greets” with families and made new friends with the Sunday school students, all virtually. By the time the High Holidays came around, Shir Tikvah was ready to welcome its congregation. Using Zoom, YouTube and the outdoor sanctuary, Rabbi Alicia conducted beautiful and inspiring services. Since then, in the return to normalcy, the building is open more often. People gather for services; students attend religious
school in person; and when the congregation gathers for social justice projects, it’s done together. All safely, of course. Along with her rabbinic duties at Shir Tikvah, Rabbi Alicia is a member of the Commission on Social Action through the Religious Action Center. She says she is learning about the Detroit area, making new friends and waiting until she can “strap on her shiny shoes and salsa the night away.” Shir Tikvah, 3900 Metro Parkway in Troy, is a Reform and Renewal synagogue that welcomes new members. www.shirtikvah.org.
The congregation celebrated Rabbi Alicia Harris on March 11.
bomb threat scare give up who we are,” Bergman at Adat Shalom added. “It was true for our Synagogue in ancestors. It is true for us Farmington Hills on March 18 today.” led to the building being evacAdat Shalom’s Executive uated without incident and Director Michael Wolf says Friday night Shabbat services there were only about 5-10 being conducted via Zoom. people inside the synagogue Adat Shalom’s Rabbi Aaron at the time of the threat. Bergman sent out a letter to “We did what we had the community on Friday to do when we answered afternoon with the details. the phone call and “At 3 p.m., our office made sure everyone received a phone call was safe,” Wolf said. from someone with an “We’re grateful for out-of-state area code the tremendous work who said that he planted the Farmington Hills Michael a pipe bomb at the synaPolice and firemen do, Wolf gogue. The building was for our rabbis and clerevacuated immediately gy, and we’re grateful without incident, and the to have a caring conpolice and Federation gregation that looks security were called. The out for each other.” police responded immeThe Antidiately, including with Defamation League’s Rabbi Aaron bomb-sweeping dogs,” most recent Audit of Bergman Bergman relayed. Antisemitic Incidents “So far this seems to be a in the United States, issued cruel hoax designed to terin April 2021, recorded 2,024 rorize our communities. We acts of assault, vandalism and will not allow these terrorists harassment, the third-highest to win. However, out of an year for incidents against abundance of caution, and in American Jews since ADL order to allow the police to started tracking the data in fully investigate every part of 1979. the building, we will be having The audit showed cases of services tonight only by Zoom. antisemitism in the state of We will resume our regular Michigan rose by 21% from Shabbat services tomorrow the year prior, which continmorning in the sanctuary, with ued a concerning trend of our regular option to Zoom upward increases. The spike for those who wish.” represented an increase of The incident took place the 240% since 2016, with 51 inciweek of Purim. dents total. The 51 incidents “Purim reminds us to placed Michigan at eighthalways be strong and never most in the country.
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