WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Temple Israel teacher is speaking out about the March 12 attack on the West Bloomfield Township synagogue — Michigan's largest Jewish temple.
Elise Otis, the lead teacher of the childcare toddler program at Temple Israel, said the day is one she will never forget.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below:
"Within seconds, we heard a crash and we didn't know what it was. And I was like oh my gosh, somebody fell through the ceiling. There was construction happening at the temple, so I just assumed it was the construction. I ran in the hall and I looked up, and it was like the ceiling had fallen in," Otis said.
Her classroom of children — just 15 to 20 months old — was 10 feet away from where the attacker burst through the doors with his truck and $2,000 worth of explosives. Otis was back in her classroom when she heard gunshots.
"All I could think about was just lay across them, just lay across them," Otis said. "It will just be you, it'll just be you, and they'll be fine."
There were 140 children and more than 50 staff members inside the building at the time of the attack. While in lock down, Otis received numerous text messages from family and friends but said her only focus was her eight students.
"I was going to do anything I needed to protect them. If it meant I was going to lose my own life, it wasn't a question," Otis said.
Otis had recently completed active shooter training, where she learned to keep children calm. She played Elmo and gave them Cheerios.
Previous coverage: West Bloomfield dispatchers describe initial moments of Temple Israel attack response
After about 40 minutes, staff and students were escorted out of the building and into a neighborhood nearby, where a resident offered them a safe place to gather in his garage.
"We tried to sing songs in the garage, and I don't know how long we were in the garage. I mean, I have no sense of time," Otis said.
The FBI characterized the attack as a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism late last month. When asked about a recent attack on a place of worship in San Diego, Otis said she felt for those affected and that speaking out was important to her.
"It's insane. My chest got tight. I mean, one of the reasons I do want to speak is because it's going to happen again — it already has, it already has," Otis said.
Previous coverage: Temple Israel shares photographs of attack aftermath from inside building
She said the days, weeks and months since the attack have been difficult, but she is also deeply grateful that everyone made it out alive.
"Every teacher in that building did something right. Every teacher put their kids in the right safe place," Otis said.
Temple Israel says it is continuing to rebuild, not only the building but as a community, and hopes to be back in at least a portion of the building by the fall.
