One leader told the Enquirer that the events Saturday are a part of the bigger story of antisemitism in the United States.
During a Shabbat service Saturday morning, a man took four people hostage inside the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. The FBI on Sunday identified British national Malik Faisal Akram,44, as the person who took hostages in a standoff at a Texas synagogue, apparently acting alone. More: FBI IDs assailant in Texas hostage standoff as British national; rabbi ‘grateful to be alive’ He allegedly held the hostages until Saturday night when all four were confirmed to be safe a little after 10:30 p.m. Law enforcement also confirmed that the suspect is dead. Dallas FBI chief Matthew DeSarno said the investigation involved Britain and Israel, and the assailant was focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community. London’s Metropolitan Police said Akram was from the Lancashire area of northwest England and British counterterrorism police worked with U.S. authorities on the case. The situation was followed closely across the country. Several online vigils were held throughout the day to bring people together in prayer. Naomi Ruben, a spokesperson for the American Jewish Committee, said that the AJC stayed in constant contact with colleagues at the Dallas office. Colleyville is located about 25 miles northwest of Dallas. Ruben said that situations like Saturday can happen at any time, emphasizing that security measures at Jewish institutions are paramount to have established. “I think a lot of people don’t understand in terms of the security issues that the Jewish community has to have in place,” Ruben said. Among the hostages Saturday was Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who has led Congregation Beth Israel since he was ordained in 2006. Originally from Lansing, Michigan, Cytron-Walker graduated from the University of Michigan in 1998 and studied at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati from 2002 to 2006. Dr. Gary Zola, one of Cytron-Walker’s former professors at the HUC-JIR Cincinnati, told the Enquirer he remembers having Rabbi Cytron-Walker quite well as a student.
