(Photo Courtesy of SCN via JTA)
By AFP - January 19, 2022
WASHINGTON — When a Texas rabbi flung a chair at his armed kidnapper, allowing himself and two others to escape, it was not only fast thinking — it was the result of an aggressive campaign in the United States to train synagogues and other Jewish institutions to protect themselves.
Charlie Cytron-Walker, the rabbi at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, credited training by Secure Communities Network (SCN) with helping him escape the British man who invaded the synagogue on Saturday and held four men hostage for 10 hours before being killed by security forces.
“It was terrifying,” he told CBS.
“When I saw an opportunity where he wasn’t in a good position, I made sure that the two gentlemen who were still with me, that they were ready to go” out a nearby exit, he said.
“I told them to go. I threw a chair at the gunman and I headed for the door, and all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired.”
Read More: Times of Israel