"Whether they're somebody who's Jewish, who's coming in from another community or from our community, or whether they're not Jewish, and maybe they're exploring Judaism for the first time, or they just want to see what a Jewish service is all about because they're curious and they're asking, am I going to belong? And I want them to know that they are going to belong.Where Hearst had once engendered sympathy, she now became suspect. And I'm going to assume that even if they do not look like the stereotypical person who's going to come into a Jewish synagogue, I want them there. "So when someone comes to the door? Yes, I'm going to do the same kind of visual scan that I did.
This was the first time we had something along those lines," he said. I have led thousands and thousands of services at the congregation over my 15-plus years with the community. Though his experience was harrowing, he said he would gladly accept another stranger into the synagogue, no matter their intentions. I made sure that they were ready to go, and I told them to run."Īfter throwing the chair and distracting Akram, the hostages were able to escape. The other two people in the room with me were a little bit closer to the door. So I picked up the chair that was right in front of me, I was the closest to him. "His gun wasn't in a great position for him to access it, and he was holding liquid in his hand. I found him a drink and a cup and I brought it over to him," Cytron-Walker said. Cytron-Walker spoke to NPR and expressed condolences to the family of Malik Faisal Akram, who held him and other congregation members hostage for 11 hours on January 15. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker talks to reporters outside of White's Chapel United Methodist Church following a special service on January 17, 2022, in Southlake, Texas. He recalled that Akram asked him toward the end of the ordeal for some juice. After 11 hours, Cytron-Walker found a way for the congregation to escape. He didn't have to feel that he was being rude."Īkram pulled a gun on the rabbi and the rest of his congregation during the conversation. "I said that he was welcome to stay for the rest of the service or that if he had just come in to get warm, he was welcome to leave. "I spoke with him one on one, quietly," Cytron-Walker said. He described that he let Akram inside of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue because he appeared to be cold. But he maintains that "hospitality means the world," even in life-threatening situations. The sentiment might seem surprising given the severity of the situation. I am so sorry that you had to endure this tragedy. "I would say to his family I am so sorry.
"Give me a moment," Rabbi Charlie said, "a moment of compassion, while I try to respond. He was asked by program host Mary Louise Kelly about what he would say to Akram's family. In an interview with NPR's All Things Considered radio program, the rabbi spoke about his experience being held hostage by Malik Faisal Akram for 11 hours. Days after he was held hostage and led his congregation to safety, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker wished his captor's family well.
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