When European immigrants originally settled in Milwaukee, they built churches with soaring towers that you can still see throughout the city. But today, our community has more than 1,000 houses of worship of all denominations. You can find the ornate Basilica of St. Josaphat, the first African-American church in Wisconsin: St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, the oldest synagogue in Milwaukee: Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun, and the Islamic Society of Milwaukee all no more than a 20 minute drive from downtown. Whether you’re at a cultural festival or driving through our residential neighborhoods, you’ll start to notice that deeply rooted religious traditions remain a part of who we are as a city today.
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INTERFAITH CONFERENCE OF GREATER MILWAUKEE
CONDEMNS ANTISEMITIC ATTACK ON TEMPLE ISRAEL IN MICHIGAN (3/13/2026)
The Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee unequivocally condemns the attack yesterday targeting Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. This antisemitic attack by one man, which resulted in injuries to a security guard at the Temple and to many first responders, is another unacceptable act of violence on both a place of worship and a place of education for preschoolers. Places of worship are for prayer and celebrating faith. Places of education are sacred, too, as they are meant for learning and reflection. While the motive of the attacker is still under investigation at the time that this statement was drafted, we state that places of worship and schools should never be a target for terror, murder, or violence. Nor should anyone ever fear for their safety while studying, teaching, or worshiping.
We are grateful to the security guard and the first responders, who were able to thwart the attack with no loss of life, and the staff of the temple who bravely escorted the preschoolers from the building. The Interfaith Conference prays for the injured, and for their families.
This tragic incident follows three other recent widely known acts of violent antisemitism in this country last year. On April 13, 2025, an assailant attempted to set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence while he and his family were observing Passover. On May 21, 2025, two Israeli embassy staff members were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. On June 1, 2025, on the eve of Shavuot, a man threw incendiary devices at a group of peaceful Jewish marchers in Boulder, Colorado, injuring many and murdering a Holocaust survivor.
Our prayers, our support, and our commitment to continue to act in solidarity are with those in our local Jewish community as they continue to struggle with the immoral scourge of antisemitism.
We also take this time to strongly condemn the tragic acts of violence reported yesterday at another place of education, Old Dominion University.
The Interfaith Conference reaffirms our determination to speak out together against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate-fueled violence. Hate has no place in our communities. Let us recommit ourselves to building a society rooted in justice, compassion, and the shared human dignity that binds us all.
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Founded in 1970, the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization of 22 member faiths and denominations, whose mission is to build relationships among people of faith to promote greater understanding, dignity, and respect, and to advocate for the inclusion and acceptance of all.
Its programs include:
We stand with one another against hate, racism, and discrimination to promote a just community; and we serve together to strengthen our communities and build relationships across diverse faith traditions and racial, cultural, ethnic, and generational divides.
