“He was just all over the map. He was pretty irritated and the more irritated he got, he’d make more threats, like ‘I’m the guy with the bomb. If you make a mistake, this is all on you.’ And he’d laugh at that,” she said. “He was clearly in extreme distress.”
Francis, who lives in Rhome, Texas, and grew up near Colleyville, tuned in after she read about the hostage situation. She said it sounded like the man was talking to the police department on the phone, with the rabbi and another person trying to help with the negotiations.
The Dallas Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that it was assisting the Dallas FBI and the Colleyville Police Department.
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker. Photo via Congregation Beth Israel
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, strongly condemned the hostage-taking.
“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, and we pray that law enforcement authorities are able to swiftly and safely free the hostages,” said CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. “No cause can justify or excuse this crime.”
Synagogue safety has been a growing concern for American Jews ever since the October 2018 massacre in Pittsburgh, when a gunman walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue and killed 11 people.
Several groups have arisen to train volunteers to provide physical security for synagogues and assess their vulnerability to attack. More than $100 million in homeland security grants were awarded last year to Jewish institutions across the country to secure their buildings, install cameras and gates and take other protective measures. Some states have their own additional grant programs.
Cytron-Walker, the congregation’s rabbi, is a Michigan native. He is married to Adena Cytron-Walker and they have two daughters.
He attended Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion at its Jerusalem and Cincinnati campuses, receiving his rabbinical ordination in 2006, according to the congregation’s website.
Congregation Beth Israel was created in 1999 and did not have a full-time rabbi until Cytron-Walker was hired. The congregation initially met at Good Shepherd Catholic Community nearby until the building was constructed.
Colleyville is a city of about 26,000 residents, about 15 miles northeast of Fort Worth.
Lindsey Weiss, who has attended the synagogue since she was 11, but recently moved away, said Cytron-Walker is a wonderful man.
“He’s really, really kind,” said Weiss, 27. “Kind doesn’t begin to cover it. He’s the nicest guy.”
This article originally appeared here.
