Rabbi held hostage at Colleyville’s Beth Israel gives Hanukkah blessing at White House

The former rabbi of Beth Israel Congregation in Colleyville, who was held hostage with three members of the synagogue in January, gave the blessing at the White House’s Hanukkah reception Monday as a menorah was lit.

In remarks, Charlie Cytron-Walker said there were parallels between the terrifying trauma of that day and the deep meaning of the holiday.

“A lot of people will ask me about that day,” Cytron-Walker said after he was introduced by first lady Jill Biden. “And they’ll ask about the trauma, and they’ll talk about it as a tragedy. And I’ll respond back that we all made it out. Thank God it wasn’t a tragedy. It could have been— it could have been so much worse. It was terrible and it was terrifying, and we were able to get out alive.

“And that is the story of Hanukkah — the story where the Jewish people suffered through oppression and pain and loss and war. And despite all the difficulties and all the struggle, we are here today to celebrate because, against all odds, Judaism endured, and Judaism has thrived.”

Hanukkah began at sundown on Sunday and ends at sunset on Dec. 26.

For the rabbi and millions of others in the Jewish community, Hanukkah comes this year at a time when anti-Semitism, threats and violence are on the rise.

“It is not a contradiction to acknowledge our challenges and still be filled with appreciation,” said Cytron-Walker, who left Colleyville in July to lead a synagogue in North Carolina. “Our history is filled with tenacity and resilience. We have experienced the worst of humanity, haven’t we? And we refuse — we refuse to give in to despair.”

Anna Salton-Eisen, one of the founders of Congregation Beth Israel who writes and lectures about the Holocaust, also celebrated Hanukkah at the White House. On Sunday, she visited the Ellipse for the National Menorah lighting ceremony marking the beginning of Hanukkah.

Her invitation was an honor and a privilege, Eisen said. But as the daughter of Holocaust survivors, it was “also an act of defiance.”

Eisen recently completed her second book about the Holocaust, “Pillar of Salt, a Daughter’s Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust,” which is in the running for an American Library Association award.

She described getting hate messages with one showing flags with skulls and crossbones.

She also lectures in schools and churches, and her discussions about the Holocaust have evolved from history lessons to current events, she said. “The students want to know about Kanye,” she said, referring to the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has spread anti-Semitic messages on social media.

“We want to live in a society where it’s safe to practice any religion…,” she said. “You can see the hate and anger leading to violence. That’s why we have to cut it off at the root.”

In January, a gunman entered Congregation Beth Israel during services and held Charlie Cytron-Walker and three members hostage for 11 hours. Authorities stormed the small synagogue and killed the gunman, who had traveled from Britain to this synagogue to demand the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist arrested after 9/11 from federal prison in Fort Worth.

The ordeal once again highlighted the unfortunate need for security and training at synagogues and other places where Jewish people can be targeted.

Eisen said she had to make changes in her life, such as reviewing her active shooter training. She is also careful about letting ride share drivers know that she is going to a Holocaust museum.

When asked about a solution, Eisen said it is important to form alliances with other groups experiencing hate and violence such as Asian Americans..

“We have to form alliances. We don’t want to be a divided country.”