Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
Hero
Rabbis
Hero
Rabbis
I
t was another shocking occurrence.
In Colleyville, Texas, a deranged
person, spouting antisemitic tropes
and slanders, took four people hos-
tage at the Congregation Beth Israel.
One of the hostages was
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-
Walker. The crisis began
when the rabbi decid-
ed to aid a seemingly
peaceful stranger at the
door of the synagogue.
That person was any-
thing but peaceful.
The situation soon
became a national and international
story, and we all nervously waited
for news as the event unfolded. The
11-hour ordeal ended when Rabbi
Cytron-Walker threw a chair at the
hostage-taker, a brave act that allowed
two congregants and himself to escape
without harm; one hostage had been
safely released earlier. The FBI finally
admitted that the act was “committed
by a terrorist exposing an antisemitic
world view.”
It is disquieting — an under-
statement — that, once again,
Americans and, in particular, Jewish
Americans, experienced an act of
domestic terrorism. Of course, this
is in the wake of recent shootings
in 2019 at the Chabad of Poway,
California, and at the Tree of Life or
L’Smicah Congregation in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvaia, in 2018. Sad to say, these
are just two of a long list of antisemitic
acts over the past few decades, with a
notable resurgence over the last few
years.
“Hero” is an overused word in
modern times. But, if anyone deserves
hero status, it would be Rabbi Cytron-
Walker. He was in a tough situation,
but his calm resolve and decisiveness
saved the lives of the remaining hos-
tages, his congregants.
During the interviews with and
reports about the actions of Rabbi
Cytron-Walker, I was reminded of the
tragic circumstances surrounding the
assassination of Rabbi Morris Adler.
There are several similarities between
the events and, more to the point, the
actions of the rabbis. In each case,
there was a deranged, disgruntled
perpetrator and the setting was a
synagogue. At Congregation Shaarey
Zedek, Rabbi Adler’s synagogue in
Metro Detroit, however, the outcome
was tragic.
What stands out to me is the nature
of the rabbis as leaders. Both demon-
strated kindness toward a person in
need. Rabbi Cytron-Walker attempted
to provide aid to a stranger at the
door. Rabbi Adler met several times
with Richard Wishnetsky in an effort
to help the mentally ill, 23-year-old
Jewish man who eventually shot him
on Shabbat morning, Feb. 12, 1966.
Most of all, when faced with immi-
nent danger, both showed their cour-
age and put the safety of their congre-
gants first. Like Rabbi Cytron-Walker,
Rabbi Adler was also courageous.
When Wishnetsky approached the
bimah and shot his pistol in the air,
there were hundreds of people in the
pews. Rabbi Adler’s first reaction was
to get members out of harm’s way: “I
know the boy. I’ll handle him,” he said.
Unfortunately, after the bimah was
cleared, Wishnetsky shot Rabbi Adler
and then himself. The full story of
this horrific event can be found in
the pages of the JN in the William
Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish
Detroit History.
In the aftermath in Colleyville,
Rabbi Cytron-Walker said, “We have
to be hospitable, and we have to be
secure. And we have to find ways to
strike that balance.” This is an hon-
orable and generous perspective, one
which shows the best of the human
spirit that both rabbis had and have in
abundance.
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN
Foundation archives, available for free at
www.djnfoundation.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
70 | FEBRUARY 3 • 2022