‘People should not be fearful of going to worship,’ rabbi says of Colleyville standoff
A Fort Worth rabbi called a Saturday hostage situation at a Colleyville synagogue “an awful thing,” and said that “people should not be fearful of going to worship.”
Rabbi emeritus Ralph Mecklenburger said that he has been a friend of Colleyville’s Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker for years. The Colleyville rabbi is one of four hostages who have been held for hours Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel.
Cytron-Walker has been the only rabbi at the Colleyville synagogue.
A ranting man heard on livestreamed video of the service has had the rabbi and others hostage at the Colleyville synagogue since Saturday morning, but no injuries have been reported.
Leaders of a Fort Worth synagogue asked for prayers Saturday for their Colleyville friends and our nearby Jewish community.
“Some of you asked about security. President Russ Schultz and I want to assure you that all of our Tarrant County Jewish Congregations work closely with the Jewish Federation, local police departments, the Department of Homeland Security and a host of other professional groups to constantly evaluate our security procedures,” according to a statement released Saturday by Fort Worth’s Beth-El Congregation Rabbi Brian Zimmerman. “Following what we pray is a safe resolution, those groups will certainly meet and learn from this situation for the future.”
Mecklenburger said the Colleyville rabbi has been the only one the congregation there has known.
”He’s a very nice guy, a good speaker,” Mecklenburger said Saturday. He has known the Colleyville rabbi for years. “He’s a wonderful guy and rabbi.”
Mecklenburger called the hostage situation at the Colleyville synagogue “an awful thing.“
“People should not be fearful of going to worship,” Mecklenburger said.
The Fort Worth rabbi talked about how Cytron-Walker had grown to love the Colleyville synagogue from the first day he arrived.
“We should not have to worry about worshiping,” Mecklenburger said. “Bigotry is a real phenomenon.”
