Texas siege: ‘We will get through this’
The amount of "well-wishes and kindness and compassion" has been overwhelming.
ABOUT 1000 people of various faiths and backgrounds gathered for a vigil at a church eight kilometres north of Colleyville, Texas on Monday evening, showing solidarity with the nearby Jewish community as it began to heal from the hostage standoff at Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) 48 hours earlier.
“While very few of us are doing okay right now, we’ll get through this,” said CBI Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was one of the four worshipers who arrived at their Reform congregation for Shabbat services and quickly found themselves being held at gunpoint for more than 11 hours.
The attacker, Malik Faisal Akram, sought the release of a Pakistani prisoner serving an 86-year sentence for terror charges at a prison about 25 kilometres southwest of Colleyville. He was killed in a firefight with FBI agents after the last three of the four hostages managed to escape the synagogue.
Monday’s vigil featured remarks from Cytron-Walker as well as a recital of English and Hebrew songs and prayers from current and past presidents of CBI and cantors from the surrounding Dallas area.
The CBI rabbi, who local and federal law enforcement credited for his “calm and collected” demeanour throughout Saturday’s standoff, was introduced with a 30-second standing ovation from the audience, one of several moments that had Cytron-Walker holding back tears.
Cytron-Walker said the amount of “well-wishes and kindness and compassion” has been overwhelming.
He thanked those who packed the massive White Chapel Methodist Church from all over the Dallas area as well as more than 24,000 viewers on Facebook Live – the same medium that was used by CBI to stream its Shabbat services and where the first three hours of the hostage standoff played out eerily for the public to watch.
“How amazing is it for us to know … that our small congregation in Colleyville, Texas, which no one had ever heard of before, [is being so] supported on this journey.
“To my CBI family,” he said, again choking up, “I wish I had a magic wand. I wish I could take away all of our pain and struggle.
“I know that this violation of our spiritual home was traumatic for each and every one of us,” Cytron-Walker continued. “We will take the next step. We will comfort each other.”
TIMES OF ISRAEL
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