The Michigan synagogue that came under attack Thursday is part of Reform Judaism, the largest branch of the religion in North America, which emphasizes progressive values such as social justice and gender equality.
According to the Union for Reform Judaism, Temple Israel's congregation is the second-largest in the denomination.
The synagogue was founded in 1941 in Detroit and relocated to suburban West Bloomfield in the 1980s. The congregation counts about 3,500 families and over 12,000 members, according to the temple's website. It has a calendar full of social, educational and religious activities.
It was the latest in a spate of recent attacks targeting religious buildings — which has intensified fear among religious leaders and worshippers worldwide.
Here's what to know about the Jewish community in Michigan.
The Reform denomination, part of the wider progressive Judaism, values Jewish tradition along with the use of reason and individual conscience.
Rabbis, leaders and practitioners often support social and racial justice along with gender equality and LGBTQ+ people.
According to Temple Israel's website, its mission is to “be an inclusive congregation that demonstrates respect for the needs of all,” valuing each person as “created in the image of God."
Women can become rabbis in Reform communities. And in contrast to the rules in more traditional denominations, Reform rabbis are allowed to perform interfaith marriages.
It traces its roots to Jewish communities in Germany and the United States in the 19th century. Original founders moved away from traditional ceremonial observances and literal interpretations of the Hebrew Bible and instead emphasized the use of reason and modern scholarship.
Still, many congregations incorporate Hebrew worship, and some practitioners embrace traditional practices such as keeping kosher and wearing a kippah, or traditional skullcap.
Reform Jewish leaders have long supported the state of Israel and sent a message of “solidarity with our Israeli siblings” after the outbreak of the Iran war.
At the same time, its leaders have criticized specific actions by Israeli leaders, such as a proposed judicial overhaul by the current government as well as gender segregation at the prayer site next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Some Reform rabbis have criticized Israel's handling of the invasion of Gaza and the distribution of food aid there.
Reform Judaism has nearly 850 congregations in the United States and Canada, with more than 1,200 congregations and 2 million members worldwide, according to the Union for Reform Judaism. It also has a small presence in Israel, where many Jews are secular and those who are religious mostly belong to Orthodox communities.
The Union for Reform Judaism is the main organization for Reform congregations, with separate organizations for rabbis, cantors and policy advocacy.
The attack came less than two weeks after gunshots were fired at a Reform synagogue in Toronto. In January, an arsonist targeted another Reform synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi.
The Union for Reform Judaism issued a statement Thursday in solidarity with the “injured, heroic security officer” in Michigan, and all those affected.
“A synagogue is meant to be a sanctuary — a place of prayer, learning, and community. Violence and antisemitism have no place in our society," the statement said.
“We stand with the Temple Israel community and with the entire greater Detroit Jewish community, praying for healing, safety, and strength,” it said. “In the face of hate, we remain committed to building communities rooted in dignity, justice, and peace.”
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Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
Stock indexes on Wall Street are losing ground in morning trading Friday, as the fallout from the war with Iran keeps pressure on oil prices, destabilizing the global economy.
The S&P 500 was down 0.2% after having been up as much as 0.9% in the early going. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 34 points, or 0.1%, as of 11:06 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% lower.
The latest choppy trading follows heavy turbulence in the market earlier in the week, which has the major indexes headed for their third straight losing week.
In the energy market, which has been roiled by the Iran war and its impact on supplies of crude oil and gas, the price of a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, was above $100 per barrel, though still 0.2% below its $100.46 closing price on Thursday. It’s up more than 37% for the month.
U.S. crude oil was up 0.1% to $95.83 a day after settling at $95.73 per barrel. It’s up around 43% this month.
Oil prices have been volatile since the Iran war began. Iran’s actions have effectively stopped cargo traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails. That has oil producers cutting production because their crude has nowhere to go.
If the war continues to hamper the production and transportation of oil from the Persian Gulf, it could cause a surge in inflation that could hurt the global economy. Analysts have said that if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, oil prices could jump to $150 relatively quickly.
While the International Energy Agency said Wednesday its members would make a record 400 million barrels of oil available from their emergency reserves, some economists believe that would do little to reassure markets.
President Donald Trump signaled earlier this week that he would take more action to address the squeeze on oil flows. The move follows the administration’s decision to grant temporary permission for India to buy Russian oil.
A new snapshot of consumer spending Friday shows inflation crept higher in January, even before the Iran war caused oil and gas prices to spike.
The Commerce Department said prices rose 2.8% in January compared with a year earlier. But excluding the volatile food and energy categories — which the Federal Reserve pays closer attention to — core prices rose 3.1%, up from 3% in the prior month and the highest in nearly two years.
Even so, consumers still lifted their spending at a solid 0.4% pace in January, with their incomes rising at the same pace, according to the report.
Consumer spending powers about two-thirds of the economy, which is why economists keep a close watch on trends in incomes and spending.
The University of Michigan's latest gauge of consumer sentiment on Friday showed consumer sentiment declined slightly to its lowest reading of the year as gasoline price hikes since the start of the war in Iran.
Meanwhile, the Labor Department said Friday U.S. job openings jumped to nearly 7 million in January, topping economists’ forecasts.
Wall Street also got an update on how U.S. economic growth fared in the October-December quarter. The economy, hobbled by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, grew at a sluggish 0.7% annual rate, a downgrade from its initial estimate last month.
“GDP and the job market have been expanding, but the rate of change has been slowing, which leads to concerns about the overall economy -- and that was even before we stared a war in the Middle East, which spiked the price of oil,” Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management, said in an email.
Most of the sectors in the S&P 500 were rising Friday, with financial and health care stocks driving most of the gains. JPMorgan rose 1.1% and Eli Lilly added 1.6%.
Software maker Adobe fell 6% even after it beat Wall Street’s sales and profit forecasts. Investors were likely underwhelmed by the company’s forecast for its recurring subscription revenue.
Ulta Beauty slid 10.5% for the biggest decline among S&P 500 stocks after the beauty and makeup retailer's latest quarterly results fell short of analysts’ profit targets. Ulta’s profit was dinged by a 23% increase in selling, general and administrative expenses, which jumped to $1 billion in the period.
Bitcoin rose 4.6% to just around $72,777, boosting companies that trade or hoard the cryptocurrency. Coinbase Global rose 2.4% and Strategy gained 4.9%.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.25% from 4.26% late Thursday. It was just 3.97% before the war started.
Higher yields help make all kinds of borrowing more expensive, such as mortgages for potential U.S. homebuyers and bond offerings for companies looking to expand. They also push down on prices for all kinds of investments, from stocks to crypto.
In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe after also falling in Asia.
In early European trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.2%, Germany’s DAX added 0.2% and France’s CAC 40 gained 0.4%.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index slipped 1.2%. Technology-related stocks saw some of the bigger losses, with SoftBank Group falling 4.5%.
Ryan Falvey works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A motorist fills up the tank of a vehicle at a Coscto gasoline station Thursday, March 12, 2026, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The per-gallon price for premium unleaded fuel is displayed electronically on a pump at a Costco gosoline station Thursday, March 12, 2026, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, March 13, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, March 13, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Gregg Maloney works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
