. . . Dianne Lob, Chair, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Vice Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“We are relieved by the resolution of the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel and are immensely grateful for the courage of local and state law enforcement, and the FBI, who acted quickly and effectively to rescue the rabbi and all of the worshippers inside the synagogue.
This attack against our community once again reveals the imminent dangers emanating from the far left, the far right, and Islamist extremists. This hate is the reason many must memorize the exit signs when entering a synagogue, are wary of doors opening and closing, and must consider where to shelter should the unthinkable happen. Let us be clear: an attack against one of us is an attack against us all. The fact that this could happen to any synagogue in America, and any of us could be trapped inside, any of our rabbis or any of our children in Jewish schools could be targeted, is entirely unacceptable and tears at the very fabric of the American dream.
We are grateful to live in a time and a country where the government is ready, willing, and able to protect us, no matter the threat. We thank the White House, Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice for ensuring open lines of communications and providing updates. We appreciate our colleagues who were on the ground in Texas yesterday dealing with the emergency needs of the community.
Unfortunately, there is still substantial work ahead of us. As a community, we have made tremendous progress increasing awareness of the rising tide of hate and antisemitism. We are also indebted to our partners at the Secure Community Network (SCN), whose mission is to guarantee every congregation the right to worship freely and safely by providing security resources and training. Congregation Beth Israel received this training from SCN only several months prior, which likely helped to make them better prepared for this tragic incident. We will continue to engage with synagogues and local communities to raise awareness about these tools and to harden Jewish communal facilities. We must fulfill this fundamental American promise and ensure no Jewish community feels threatened in its buildings or houses of worship.
We will continue to call out antisemitism, baseless conspiracy theories, and canards that unfairly blame Jews for innumerous global woes, especially those shrouded in anti-Israel rhetoric, which threaten the safety of Jewish communities here in the U.S. and around the world. We reiterate: Pittsburgh, Poway, Monsey, and now Colleyville, must never become the ‘new normal’ for our community.”
;
