At Colleyville religious service, discussion of unity after synagogue hostage crisis
Discussing matters of unity and diversity, clergy from across Colleyville gathered on Monday night for a service five weeks after a hostage crisis at a synagogue in the city.
Salima Mahani, a Shia Ismaili Muslim, recalled the range of prayers on Jan. 15 during the 11-hour hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel.
No one “questioned the validity of the prayers,” she said.
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was among the four hostages, told a crowd of about 175 people that he was filled with gratitude.
He referred to difficult experiences during his 15 years as his congregation’s rabbi.
“It hasn’t always been easy to be Jewish in this area,” he said. “It hasn’t always been easy to be different.”
The service was at Colleyville Center and was hosted by the Colleyville Ministerial Alliance. The Celebration of Faith & Community event included remarks separated by music from religious leaders.
Antisemitic and white separatist materials were distributed on Saturday night to Colleyville residences, and police are investigating the incident as a hate crime. Flyers in clear bags were left on driveways, Colleyville police said.
Similar flyers were distributed in January in San Francisco, Miami and Denver, police said.
Armed with a gun, Malik Faisal Akram, 44, took the hostages. He demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the first female terrorism defendant arrested after Sept. 11, 2001. She is incarcerated at a federal prison in Fort Worth.
An FBI special agent shot Akram, a British citizen, dead, authorities said. The hostages were not injured. One was released and the other three escaped just before FBI agents breached the building.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 11:29 AM.
