Ariella Green Week 12: 1/15/2022 The Colleyville Hostage Crisis

 Ariella Green Week 12: 1/15/2022 The Colleyville Hostage Crisis

Shabbat is our sacred holiday that we have the privilege to celebrate each week. Since many Jewish families attend services on the Sabbath, it has become  a day that is prone to antisemitic attacks. 


This past Shabbat, in Colleyville, Texas, a gunman disguised as a homeless man (Malik Faisal Akram) entered the local synagogue. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, Jeffrey R. Cohen, and two others were held hostage for 11 hours. Akram ordered them to kneel, but they refused. The Rabbi proceeded to throw a chair at the gunman to create a diversion which gave them the opportunity to escape. After their escape, Akram was killed from an explosion, and the police are still investigating who set it off. 


Investigations are being done and the FBI claim that the matter was “not specifically related to the Jewish community” because Akram continues to demand the release of a prisoner suspected of being involved in al-Qaida. Personally, I believe that an attack against the Jewish community is obviously related to the Jewish community and is rooted in antisemitic beliefs. 


If it was not for the synagogue’s safety training in these matters, they might have never gotten away unscathed. Over twenty five years ago, if you told people that you would need security guards to go to synagogue, school, or even the airport, they would think you’re crazy. As a Jew, it’s disappointing to witness all of these antisemitic attacks after all this time. It seems that antisemitism is never ending, and as more crimes are committed, I grow number and number because I’m used to it. However, if we become used to it, it will continue to happen because the world will think it’s ok. I’m thankful that the people were able to escape, but wish we did not have to live in a world where we have to be careful of who we share our Jewish identity with. 


One man has been released uninjured from a Dallas-area synagogue standoff where a man has been holding at least four people hostage

Source: Orlando Sentinel 

Picture : CNBC

Comments

  1. AnonymousJan 23, 2022, 8:19:00 AM

    I agree that even though there has been a lot of controversy over whether it was an antisemitic attack, any attack on a Jewish community is considered antisemitic. If it wasn’t then he could have gone to a grocery store and given himself the same result that he wanted. It is so saddening that we as Jews have become frightened and have needed so much security in order to follow our own religion.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ben Nikpour - Week 10: Oscar Viewers are Dropping

Image
     Before a few days ago, I did not know much about the Oscars. I knew it was an award show, but besides that, I was basically clueless. It wasn’t until the Will Smith and Chris Rock situation that I spent the time to look into what the Oscars are.       For some background, the Oscars, properly known as the Academy Awards, are awarded to artists in the film industry. The first show was in May of 1929. At its peak, in 1998, the Oscars brought in over 55 million viewers; that same year was the release of one of the biggest movies of all time: Titanic. Since then, viewers have been dropping. In 2020, the Oscars had their lowest amount of viewers with only 24 million people watching the event. In 2021, the Oscars broke their 2020 record of lowest viewers by only bringing in less than 11 million people. This year the Oscars brought in close to 17 million viewers which is an improvement but not by much. Award shows like the Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes, ...
Read more

Noah Bard Week 1 - The Misunderstanding of our Modern-Day Gladiators

Image
   When I hear the word gladiator, I Immediately think of the Colosseum and humans being eaten by lions. However, times have changed, and so has the term gladiator. I’m talking about the sport of MMA, and more specifically, UFC fighters. Besides the few million crazed fight fans out there like myself, the current consensus about MMA is that it’s stupid. At face value, it’s a very sensible conclusion to make. Why in the world would anybody want to risk their lives on national television, or in that case at all? Well, here’s why.      Every day before that bell rings, these men and women are mastering the art of fighting. It takes much more than just supernatural athleticism; it ultimately comes down to the fighter's mental fortitude. Every slight move in the eyes, feet, and hands of your opponent must be taken into account to win. It’s a common stereotype to think that fighters aren’t very smart and not only because of what they do for a living, but oftentimes it...
Read more

Ariella Green Week 7: The Airport

Image
  Ariella Green Week 7: The Airport      Don’t ya hate going to the airport?       I absolutely can not stand going to the airport. As I’m sure most of you know, I am very organized and like to plan out everything. When things don’t go according to the plan, it stresses me out.       Thursday morning, I assumed I would have an easy experience flying from PBI to JFK on JetBlue airlines. Little did I know, there would be many little bumps along the way that I had to deal with while trying to catch my flight.       First, we arrive at the airport at around 10:30 for our 11:45 flight. I personally believe that you should always give yourself enough time at the airport, so you don’t have to rush at the gate or if you want to make a purchase. We also had to face the challenge of finding somewhere to park, which is nearly impossible sometimes. After searching for a while, we found...
Read more