https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/21/us/detroit-synagogue-president-killing/index.html
The president of a Detroit synagogue board was found dead Saturday morning with multiple stab wounds outside her home, police said.
Right Wing Extremists/ White Nationalists are going to have a field day in this new era of Islamophobia and Antisemitism. It’s very worrisome for both groups.
You can see them infiltrating the dialogue around the conflict, on both ends. It's forcing groups to self police themselves and be wary of wolves in sheep's clothing. Which I mean, everyone should do anyway, but the bigots have made it require a lot more scrutiny.
“Right wing extremism” includes extremists of all faiths and creeds. It’s a very inclusive term, ironically enough.
I know there's a temptation to blame this on the current conflict in the Middle East, but I'll repeat what I've said in one of the other threads: the sad reality is that most women are murdered by men they know, and primarily by current or former intimate partners. Especially since, per the article
Police believe the crime took place inside her home.
The location that this took place in is a small community of semi connected residences that is largely lived in by people who are part of Detroit politics, university professors or upwardly mobile young professional families. This didn't happen in a place where there is a large density of Jewish people (suburbs to the north-west) or where there is a large density of Arabic Muslims (Dearborn being off to the West.) The victim was both a religious leader and a political operator, very much involved in the Michigan Democratic machine. She had just been to a wedding the night before with Stephanie Chang, a local State Senator, and was friends with everyone from our Attorney General to multiple members of congress.
This isn't a place that it's likely that a crime like this would happen randomly, nor would it really be a great spot to try to commit a targeted murder. The units are connected, the area is dense and tightly knit. I can say this confidently because I've been there both as a residents guest and have canvassed the neighborhood multiple times before.
Knowing more about the neighborhood (thank you, @TinyPizza) and having had more time to think about it, I'm still inclined to see this as a crime of passion. If it was a "kill any Jew" thing, they'd have targeted an area with more Jews. If it was "kill this particular person", they could have tried to find an area with easier access and less Ring doorbells. If it was premeditated, a gun would be a more likely weapon.
Whether the precise "passion" involved was 'how dare you reject my advances ' or 'why do you talk about the suffering of the Gazans during my visit', I can't say. But my impression is that it was a spur-of-the-moment thing (poor choice of location and weapon), vs a targeted killing.
May her memory be a blessing.... I hope that the community she is a part of will find peace in the coming days, months, and years
Sounds like it was someone she knows, considering the location. Does she have an ex or other such person?
