Statement on the Texas Hostage Situation

The events of the past weekend in Colleyville, Texas were shocking and harrowing, and The Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary is grateful for the survival of Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and the other three congregants taken hostage at Congregation Beth Israel.

We are grateful for the training provided by the Secure Community Network, Anti-Defamation League, FBI and local law enforcement agencies that gives Jewish community leaders the tools needed to act in a crisis.

As soon as we heard the news locally, the Federation, led by JCRC Chair Judah Segal and JCRC Law Enforcement Liaison Janis Zaremba, organized a meeting with representatives from local Jewish institutions to ensure all area synagogues and Jewish organizations were aware of what was happening in Texas and to urge them to take immediate action to check their buildings and increase security monitoring. The group also immediately reached out to our local law enforcement agencies, who were already aware of the situation and ready to help when we contacted them.

Knowing that what happened in Texas can happen anywhere, all local Jewish institutions in Raleigh have security measures in place to keep their patrons safe. We are grateful to all the volunteers, staff, and local law enforcement in our community for all their hard work, this weekend and every day, to keep us safe.

Moving forward, the Federation will continue to convene leaders from across our Jewish community on security issues. We will continue to build relationships with local law enforcement and educate our wider community on the real dangers of antisemitism. We will do everything possible to ensure that our Jewish community has the support and security it needs to live Jewishly in Greater Raleigh.

We encourage our community to contact their members of congress and urge them to double funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. The Federation has benefited from this funding for the last several years, and we want all communities to have the funds they need to secure their communal spaces. To contact your member of congress, CLICK HERE.