The rabbi of the Colleyville, Texas Reform synagogue that was targeted by a terrorist last month testified about his ordeal in front of Congress on Tuesday, and detailed why he opened the door to allow the terrorist into his synagogue.
When the gunman arrived at the synagogue, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Congregation Beth Israel was running late.
“In the midst of trying to do a million different things, I had a stranger come to the door,” he told a House Homeland Security panel. ” I have of course thought about that moment a great deal. I welcomed the terrorist into my congregation. I live with that responsibility.”
The rabbi told lawmakers that despite being busy, he conducted a visual inspection of the terrorist, later identified as Malik Faisal Akram.
“He appeared to be who he said he was – a guy who spent a night outside sub-40 degree weather,” Cytron-Walker said.
The rabbi said he then served Akram tea and spoke to him for several minutes to see if there was any indication that he was up to no good.
“I didn’t see any. Of course, I was wrong,” he said.
Cytron-Walker and the other hostages managed to escape the clutches of their Islamist attacker when the rabbi threw a chair at the terrorist and told everyone to run for the exit. After a standoff with SWAT teams, Akram pulled the trigger on himself, ending the ordeal.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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20 Responses
“just happened to go our way”. Rabbi, how about Hashgacha Pratis?
How mighty Christian of him.
Why are you reporting news from this self hating Jew that doesn’t believe in God ???? and you still have the nerve to call him a rabbi ?!?!?! as a frum news site this shouldn’t be reported or talked about at all!!!!
No doubt he looked the same as all his other congregants, a regular goy!
Please don’t call him a Rabbi. He’s Reform. Reform is not Judaism.
A terrorist, sure, but he wouldn’t let a Republican into his congregation.
There were only 4 people in the temple that day and the rabbi was just looking for a minyan. So the rabbi figures I get this Muslim guy who is Jewish by patrilineal descent and now I’m only 5 short for a minyan.
he keeps saying ‘i was wrong’
but was he? wouldnt he do it again?
at the time, was he wrong? – im asking him, according to his opinion that we should allow everyone in.
According to him, he wasnt wrong and he would do it again, so how and why was he wrong???????
All these stupid comments about “self-hating Jews” and R’ Ctryn-Walker not being a legit “Rav” etc. again fail to recognize that the terrorist could not have cared less with respect to this guy’s hashkafah, whether he was musmach of BMG, REITS, JTS or HUC or any other attribute you whine about. He was ID’d as a Jew and the building he attacked was where “Jews Pray”.
The proper title would be “Clergyperson” not Rabbi.
Can the Frum sites PLEASE stop referring to this person as a “rabbi”?
Please don’t call him a Rabbi. He’s Reform.
if you need to be PC refer to them as clergy
I always knew that reform is, well, reform, but this is starting to sound like kofer be’iker…”happen to go our way.”
it says that the rabbi threw a chair at the terrorist and told everyone to run
but the rabbi says that there was only one other person in the building
GHT, who cares what the terrorist thought? Just because the terrorist thought this “rabbi” was Jewish doesn’t make it true. If a terrorist thinks you’re a giraffe, would that make you one?
Is this Rav from the lbgtq community
Garbage. Do not print filth YWN.
He is so hard up for people to join his deform congregation that the only one he can interest in coming in is a terrorist, and muslim at that…..
You all win the ahavas yisrael award today
Yeh, sure. The first thing I always look for in a rabbi is that he should be tech savvy……especially for Shabbos….These people got off easy. Everyone there that day was chayev misa.