Members of the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, as well as the rabbi there, were held hostage by British man Malik Akram in mid January. The crisis lasted for over ten hours, while authorities remained stationed outside of the building. Thankfully, all of the hostages emerged unharmed.
Miller, the police chief in Colleyville, stated, “I see lots of hope. And what we saw was a crisis here, but there’s lots of hope in how the community came together. I have received calls from my colleagues across the nation. I’ve received calls from people that I haven’t dealt with in many years across lots of my career. This community, other churches, have all reached out. Food has been brought. Our people have been cared for. And so, you know, lots of people praying today.”
With growing acts of violence due to antisemitism, everyone, including Barstow students, should re-evaluate the way they look at the world and consider what they can do to make the world a better place. The synagogue hostage crisis was not the first act of antisemitism in Texas, and from the looks of it, certainly will not be the last. Acts of antisemitism are also growing nationally. Synagogue bombings have been occuring throughout the country, as well as other acts of terror, such as vandalism.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the mental health of many has been affected, which has caused anger to build up in hateful people. Being forced to spend more time at home or in quarantine has led people to take that anger and perform terrible acts because of it. Instead of taking anger out on innocent people, one should step back and refrain from harming others. Everyone, including the Barstow community, should take the synagogue hostage crisis and use it as determination to address our biases.
The service at the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue began in the morning. Because of Covid-19, many members of the temple chose to participate via a Zoom meeting, while others remained in person. Before the service started, Akram walked into the temple, was introduced to the rabbi and other members, and sat down to listen to the service.
The rabbi said, “Some of his story didn’t quite add up, so I was a little bit curious, but that’s not necessarily an uncommon thing,” so the rabbi did not think anything was out of the ordinary. Then, halfway through the service while the rabbi turned his back, the hostage taker pulled out a gun and loaded it.
Akram held all of the hostages at gunpoint for the next ten hours. He continually told everyone that, “He wants to go down as a martyr,” and that he had explosive weapons on him. The man also made anti-semitic remarks, especially describing how Jewish people were taking over the world, and demanded to speak to a rabbi in power. On the phone, Akram also demanded for the release of criminal Aafia Siddiqui, who was arrested for terrorism and is known to be antisemitic.
The rabbi distracted Akram by offering him a drink so that he would not be able to hold his gun. When the right moment came, the rabbi threw a chair at Akram to distract him, and instructed the other hostages to run out of the building. All of the hostages, including the rabbi, emerged from the building unharmed. After the FBI entered the building, a gunshot was heard, confirming the death of Akram. Following the traumatic experience, all hostages were reunited with their families.
Although this act of antisemitism did not end tragically, the events of Janurary 15th build concern for the future. Both including and outside of the Barstow community, we need to address the current hate for others that exists in the hearts of many. No one should have to fear for their safety because of their religion, race, or other parts of their identity.
