The Temple Israel Attack and Security Planning

Federal Security Grants are Blocked by DHS Funds cutoff

Temple Israel has great security and we should all be grateful that its armed security guards were able to neutralize the armed intruder who crashed his explosives-filled vehicle into the synagogue. The guards saved many lives, especially children attending a preschool in the synagogue, the location of the attack.

Too many times churches and synagogues make excuses for not having security. Some are ideological: we don’t want armed guards or guns near our religious place. Others are willing to have guards but not with guns (consider what that would have meant for Temple Israel with over 140 lives at risk). Some are financial: we don’t have money to put in security. Some are denial: it will never happen to us.

Even for those trying to improve security, Congregations who applied for Federal money for security now find that the money is blocked because Congress has cut off funding for DHS which manages the Federal security grant program.

Temple Israel synagogue was well prepared. It had invested in security, had armed guards, perimeter protection, and the congregation and its security staff were trained and had the latest active shooter briefings from the FBI.

But, despite the extensive preparations, the man who drove his vehicle into the Temple building at the preschool entrance where he was able to circumvent bollards that were installed to block a vehicular attack.

Armed guards, good security procedures, and visible security are good deterrents to criminal, terrorist attacks on churches and synagogues. But deterrents do not always work, especially if the attacker expects to be killed.

In the Temple Israel case, news reports say that the terrorist driving the vehicle, Ayman Mohamad Ghazal, age 41, expected to die. Ghazali called his ex-wife approximately one hour before the attack. During the brief call, he reportedly told her to “take care of their children.” (Apparently she reported her concern to the local authorities.)

Entrances and soft spots on buildings are areas that need special attention.

I have written extensively including my book Security Planning and Holy Places, about physical protection on the perimeter as an essential component of security preparation.

Ten years ago I went “security shopping” with the executive director of my synagogue to buy “big” rocks. Big rocks can be used as physical protection because they can stop a car or truck from penetrating the site. In our particular case, the entrances were well above ground and protected by steep, narrow steps. But there were a number of building soft spots, windows at ground level for example, that could be smashed by a car or truck. We put big rocks in places to protect these areas.

There are different types of barriers and bollards. Some are “natural” ones like big rocks, others use chains and anchors, or very large nearly immovable planters. Professional bollards essentially are steel or steel and cement pillars that are anchored in the ground. Most vehicles cannot knock them over. A key advantage of a professional bollard is that the US government rates them for effectiveness.

Bollard ratings measure a barrier’s ability to stop vehicles, primarily using ASTM F2656 (M-ratings) for high-speed, 15,000-lb vehicles (M30/M40/M50 for 30–50 mph) and ASTM F3016 for low-speed (10-30 mph) site safety. Ratings define impact speed and penetration distance.

The key for any barrier or bollard system is coverage. From what we have learned so far from Temple Israel, the attacker was able to circumvent the bollards that were installed.

Every security system needs an outside expert set of eyes to evaluate the potential strengths and weaknesses of a security setup. The review should be independent of the security staff and contractors in order to get a critical assessment.

In virtually all cases, terrorist attacks are planned and the target is carefully examined to pick out possible vulnerabilities. Many cases have been reported unknown persons taking photos of church and synagogue entrances, parking lots, and other high risk areas (such as large plate glass windows).

Worse still, Google Maps offers overhead and street view pictures of churches and synagogues. It would be a good thing if these images were blanked out, because they make it easy for a terrorist to target any religious site.

While most people do not know, a congregation can request that Google remove its street view image of a church or synagogue. To do this, find your address in Street View on a desktop browser, click “Report a problem” in the bottom-right corner, and submit a request to blur the image. This only affects Google Maps/Street View, not other platforms like Bing Maps, Apple Maps, or third-party real estate sites (e.g., Zillow). It also does not blur out overhead views.

Recently there have been four attacks involving vehicles ramming including the latest at Temple Israel. On January 28th a car repeatedly drove into the entrance to the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. No one was hurt and the driver of the vehicle, who rammed the entrance five times, was arrested.

On September 28, 2025 an ex-Marine smashed a pickup truck through the entrance of a Mormon church during a crowded Sunday service in Grand Blanc, Michigan. After breaching the building with the vehicle, the attacker opened fire with a rifle and ignited a fire within the structure. Four people were killed and eight others were wounded. The attacker was fatally shot by responding police officers.

On January 1, 2025 in New Orleans a perpetrator used a large vehicle to plow into a crowd and a religious gathering area during New Year’s celebrations. The suspect also had a firearm and attempted to use explosives. 14 people were killed and 52 were injured. While not exclusively limited to a single building, the attack targeted a high-density area of religious and public celebration. The attack was against a Roman Catholic gathering.

We live in dangerous times with threats to religious institutions rising exponentially. Security planning and preparation is critical to safeguard holy places and save lives.

There are government funds to pay for church and synagogue security, but because funding for DHS is blocked, the security money also is blocked. This is unacceptable and reckless Congressional behavior.