By Yevgeniya Gazman
(November 9, 2026 / Detroit Jewish News) The DOJ’s American Tour Against Hate launches in Metro Detroit, with Leo Terrell addressing hundreds and federal officials visiting Temple Israel.
Michigan was the first stop of the American Tour Against Hate. The tour initiated by the Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism worked in collaboration with the ZOA Michigan to host the national leaders on their visit. Hundreds attended the kickoff event held at Congregation Shaarey Zedek. Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Department of Justice served as the keynote speaker of the evening.
Kobi Erez, executive director of ZOA Michigan, shared a recent experience of walking home from synagogue and being yelled at with antisemitic slurs and hateful remarks by a group of motorcyclists. He also spoke of the attack on Temple Israel in March as well as the staggering statistic that 55% of American Jewish people have changed their own behavior due to antisemitism.
“No one should have to hide who they are to feel safe,” said Erez. “That is why tonight matters. The DOJ’s American Tour Against Hate offers an opportunity to shift the burden of confronting hate from the people being targeted to the institutions responsible for protecting them.”
The evening included recorded remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche. Associate U.S. Attorney General Woodward Jr. attended in person and addressed the attendees.
Terrell and other national leaders on the tour visited Temple Israel and met with clergy, staff, and community members impacted by the March 12, 2026, terrorist attack on the community. Ali Shaw, the mother of a 4-year-old preschool student who was on site on the date of the attack, expressed her gratitude to Terrell and others who took the time to visit Temple Israel. “Above all, I want my children to grow up in an America where they can proudly embrace their Jewish identity without fear,” said Shaw. “I do not want them to believe that being Jewish means accepting hatred, intimidation or violence as an inevitable part of their lives.”
“Religious freedom is one of the fundamental principles upon which the United States was founded,” she said. “The promise that Americans can freely practice their faith without persecution is central to who we are as a nation. That promise must extend to Jewish families just as it does to every other American.”
A focus of the evening was concrete programs created to assist communities in fighting hate, including funds to cover security costs.
This article was originally published by The Detroit Jewish News and can be viewed here.