Statement from Legislator Arnold W. Drucker in Response to Attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas
(MINEOLA, N.Y.) - The following is a statement from Nassau County Legislator Arnold W. Drucker (D - Plainview)
“On Saturday, Jan. 15, the world watched in horror as Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas was attacked by a gunman who took the synagogue's rabbi and three worshipers as hostages. I was profoundly grateful and relieved that the four hostages were released safely - but haunted by yet another attack on Jewish people practicing their faith in America.
‘In my small synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and a few members of Congregation Beth Israel are being held hostage by a man who is armed with a gun and claims to have a bomb,’ Anna Salton Eisen, the congregation's founding Rabbi, posted on Facebook during the attack. ‘Please keep us in your prayers. I started this synagogue with two other families and am heartbroken and fearful. What has become of the world?’
“Her words have been ringing in my ears since I read them. For millennia, Jewish people around the world have suffered from the scourge of antisemitism, and the time for wringing our hands has long passed. Last summer, I sponsored legislation to create Nassau's Special Legislative Task Force to Combat Antisemitism - an entity which will convene later this month to begin investigating and devising solutions to help ensure that Jews in Nassau County can worship in peace and live their lives without fearing for their family's safety.
“Now is the time to come together as one Nassau County to pave the way to a brighter, more inclusive future and send a clear message that we will never be silent when confronted with hatred of any kind.”