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Dear John,
There was no Mourner’s Kaddish recited at the service I attended at a church just outside Colleyville, TX last night.
This traditional prayer acknowledging the loss of loved ones, said Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, became unnecessary when he and his fellow hostages escaped safely from Congregation Beth Israel after being held for 11 hours by a gun-wielding terrorist.
For those in the church sanctuary — Jews, Christians, Muslims and others of many faiths and of no faiths — this was a time of gratitude and healing after a time of terror. It was another outpouring of support in a region that pulled together to support the Jewish community during a time of crisis.
After the hostages’ remarkable escape, the rabbi has repeatedly said how the guidance he received over the years — from ADL and others in the Jewish community and law enforcement — gave him the awareness to take his life-saving actions in a time of crisis.
During the crisis itself, we were welcomed by a nearby Catholic church, giving us a base to help coordinate support for the community as we worked with law enforcement, with city leaders, with other organizations and with the Israeli consul general.
I’m humbled to pass along a “thank you” to the entire ADL community from Rabbi Charlie and his wife Adena who I was able to see (and hug) at that healing service. When I spoke to Adena, she thanked us for the extensive support ADL has provided to the rabbi and to their entire congregation.
Reports have indicated that the terrorist responsible for the attack, identified as UK national Malik Faisal Akram, called for the release of
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Aafia Siddiqui, a convicted terrorist with links to Al Qaeda who railed against Jews during her trial and who had blamed her guilty verdict on Israel. The attack is a reminder that hardened conspiratorial antisemitism is a core tenet of extremists across the spectrum. Indeed, as Rabbi Charlie noted in an interview after the attack, “This was somebody who literally thought that Jews control the world. He thought he could come into a synagogue, and we could get on the phone with the ‘Chief Rabbi of America’ and he would get what he needed.”
Predictably,
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Islamist extremists expressed support for Akram’s actions. Prominent Al Qaeda supporters described the hostage situation as “inspirational” and a warning to their enemies, and a British-based pro-ISIS Islamist preacher reiterated calls to free Siddiqui. Right-wing extremists, Holocaust deniers and others are likewise attempting to exploit the Colleyville crisis to advance their own antisemitic, conspiratorial ideologies — a clear indication that acts of antisemitism tend to inspire further expressions of antisemitism.
This situation is a painful reminder of the fact that synagogues in America continue to be at risk for terrorist attacks because
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the Jewish community remains the most-targeted religious community in the United States, with antisemitic incidents being reported at record levels. As Rabbi Charlie pointed out, he and other synagogue leaders, sadly, now need to be versed not only in the Torah, but in tactics in preventing and responding to terror.
Here in Texas, we are shaken but never deterred. With heroes like the rabbi and the law enforcement team that stepped up to support the Jewish community in this time of crisis, we will stay united and take action in the Good Fight against hate.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Drazin
VP, Central Division
ADL
P.S. Please consider making a donation to help sustain ADL so we can continue to provide the support that is invaluable in times of crisis like this.
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