Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, the ‘Mensch’ Liked Even by the Man Who Took Him Hostage
COLLEYVILLE, Texas — Local and federal law enforcement credited Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker’s “calm and collected” demeanor for helping bring about a miraculous end to the ten-hour hostage crisis at his northern Texas synagogue on Saturday night.
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timesofisrael.com
Friends and acquaintances describe a Jewish leader in Texas whose wholehearted dedication to community life and interfaith work earned him friends everywhere
By Andrew Lapin
“…Congregation Beth Israel was founded in 1998 as an informal community in a rapidly growing suburb of Fort Worth, located just miles from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Cytron-Walker, who joined the Reform congregation in 2006 after graduating from rabbinical school, has been its only full-time rabbi.
In that role, he has tackled the everyday challenges of synagogue leadership — seeking out a virtual program when COVID-19 forced Beth Israel’s Hebrew school to go online, for example — while also becoming well known in the area for his interfaith and social justice work.”
timesofisrael.com