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Masked attacker holds Michigan rabbi and students at gunpoint after Rosh Hashanah meal
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Masked attacker holds Michigan rabbi and students at gunpoint after Rosh Hashanah meal

A University of Michigan rabbi and 20 students were held at gunpoint when a gunman broke into his home during a holiday meal at the start of Rosh Hashanah.

A University of Michigan rabbi was held at gunpoint along with 20 students after eating a holiday meal at the start of Rosh Hashanah. ZUMAPRESS.com

“I’ll take everything, give me everything,” the shooter allegedly said while carrying a pistol.

No shots were fired and the home’s occupants fled through a front door – while the thief got away with little more than a single bag, according to the Detroit News.

The suspect, believed to be a black man in his early 20s, was not caught.

“The preliminary investigation indicates this was a crime of opportunity,” Southfield police said in a statement. “However, the investigation is ongoing.”

A woman believed to be an accomplice was taken into custody.

“A terrible event occurred late Wednesday evening at the home of Rabbi Mendy Klahr,” university President Santa Ono said in a statement, explaining that the rabbi’s home was 40 minutes from campus.

The shooter forced people to give everything they could. Nicholas J. Klein – stock.adobe.com

“Luckily no one was injured.”

“I spoke directly to local students and also some parents. “While we are grateful that the rabbi, his family and our students are safe, we take the safety of our students very seriously,” Ono said, adding that the school is ensuring security at Jewish centers on campus over the holiday weekend and beyond will improve week during Yom Kippur.

The University of Michigan has been dogged by reports of violence against Jewish students in recent days.

In late September, two Jewish students reported that they were attacked after an argument with someone outside an off-campus Jewish fraternity house.

The residents of the house managed to escape. ZUMAPRESS.com

The argument escalated and one of the Jewish students was beaten.

Early the next day, “a group came back and threw glass bottles at the house,” Ono said in a statement.

Days earlier, another Jewish student reported being attacked.

Detroit News reports no shots were fired. ZUMAPRESS.com

Those incidents and the tense climate at universities across the country in the year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel have left Jewish students on edge.

According to the Detroit Free Press, some have begun organizing a “shmira” — Hebrew for guardian — to calm down.

The plan is to recruit up to 100 students to accompany Jewish students on campus who may feel in danger.

“It’s honestly sad that we’re at this point where we have students who feel unsafe walking around campus and we have to take these measures,” said 22-year-old master’s student Leo Gabaron, who is leading the effort.

“But we just want the Jewish community to know that people are here for you, we are all here for you and there is no reason for students not to feel safe,” he added.

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