Sanitizing acts of violence against Jewish Institutions

On Jan. 15, 2022, during Shabbat services, Congregation Beth Israel located in Colleyville, Texas, a suburb of Ft. Worth was attacked by an armed individual who barricaded himself in the synagogue, after taking four congregants hostage, including the synagogue’s rabbi.

Fortunately, there were much fewer attendees on this Shabbat morning because of the continuing pandemic, as most congregants were participating at home through live streaming of religious services.

The attack on this synagogue is the latest in a string of violent and lethal attacks on Jewish institutions and Jewish individuals all across the U.S. and throughout the world. Happily, this attack did not result in any Jewish casualties as the hostages managed to escape unharmed through a back door while being chased by the gunman who retreated back into the synagogue.

Soon after the hostages escaped a swat team stormed the synagogue and killed the assailant. The violent ending occurred after many hours of protracted and fruitless negotiations with FBI specialists who engaged the assailant with the hope of a peaceful resolution without casualties.

During these negotiations, according to media reports, the assailant demanded the release of a convicted Pakistani born terrorist, Aafia Siddiqui, who, as reported in the Boston Herald became an Al-Qaeda operative and was convicted of attempted murder of U.S. soldiers in Aphganistan in 2010. She is currently serving an 86-year sentence in federal prison

While the hostages were held in captivity there were also reports the assailant allegedly told the hostages he hated Jews. The perpetrator of this hostile attack on the synagogue was later identified as Malik Faisal Akram, alleged to be a British citizen.

Despite the fact that this individual chose to attack a synagogue, sought the release of a prisoner known as an Al-Qaeda operative who attempted to kill American soldiers and was an obviously radicalized Muslim who hated Jews, the best law enforcement could do in describing the perpetrator of this crime was “gunman” and “British citizen.”

Despite President Biden and the UK Foreign Minister Elizabeth Truss immediately classifying this attack on the synagogue as an “incident of antisemitic violence,” the media and law enforcement was reluctant to describe the assailant as a radical Islamic terrorist.

What is more disheartening is that, according to World Israel News, “the president of Congregation Beth Israel downplayed the idea that the attack was antisemitic. He asserted that “Mr. Malik Faisal Akram acted alone and that [he] did not select the synagogue due to the fact it is a Jewish institution.”

The congregation president is further quoted as making the outlandish statement that, “It is important to note that this was a random act of violence. Indeed, there was a one in a million chance that the gunman picked our congregation.”

The only way anyone could delude themselves that this was a “random act of violence” against a Jewish Institution is if there were one million Jewish institutions in the U.S. from which the terrorist could choose. Even if that were true, it could not be a random act of violence if it was against a Jewish Institution.

This is not an instance of naivety or looking through rose-colored glasses. This is a case of poor judgment and blindness of the highest order. The attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, was an antisemitic violent terrorist act and needs to be condemned as such and nothing less.

It is bad enough that the media and many organizations sanitize attacks on Jewish people and organizations; but when Jewish people and organizations downplay antisemitic acts as well as support policies and false accusations against Israel, they are aiding and abetting other acts of antisemitism and placing themselves, other Jewish people, Jewish institutions and the State of Israel in a very tenuous security position.

If you wish to comment or respond you can reach me at melpearlman322@gmail.com. Please do so in a rational, thoughtful, respectful and civil manner.

Mel Pearlman holds B.S. & M.S. degrees in physics as well as a J.D. degree and initially came to Florida in 1966 to work on the Gemini and Apollo space programs. He has practiced law in Central Florida since 1972. He has served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando; was a charter board member, first vice president and pro-bono legal counsel of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida, as well as holding many other community leadership positions.