The Michigan synagogue that was attacked is one of the largest reform congregations in the U.S. Temple Israel was founded in 1941 in the city of Detroit and relocated to West Bloomfield in the 1980s. The Reform movement is often described as progressive Judaism and values tradition along with the use of reason and individual conscience. Rabbis, leaders and practitioners supports social and racial justice along with gender equality and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

A federal judge is hearing arguments about whether a competency evaluation is needed for the leader of the cultlike Zizians group that has been linked to six deaths. Jack LaSota, a transgender woman who goes by “Ziz,” was charged with illegal gun possession by a fugitive after her arrest last year. Her lawyers asked a judge Thursday to order a psychological evaluation, citing reasonable cause to believe she is incompetent to stand trial. Authorities have called LaSota the apparent leader of a group tied to six deaths in three states.

  • Updated

FILE - Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)