When the news broke that a hostage taker was engaged in a standoff at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 15, I paid attention. Specifically, attention to the Anti-Defamation League, which noted that according to the most recent Department of Justice statistics, from 2019, 60 percent of all reported religion-directed hate crimes, or hate mongering, was antisemitic. Think of it, 60 percent at 2 percent of the U.S. population, Jewish Americans!
A law enforcement vehicle sits near Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on Jan. 16. Of the people held hostage by a gunman at the synagogue Jan. 15, one was released seven hours into the standoff and the other three escaped safely about four hours later. Brandon Bell/Getty Images via TNS
It prompted me to ask Jewish friends what they were feeling about the synagogue attack and how they were dealing with it personally. And what I learned is what I sort of knew: that to be a Jew in this country means to live with anxiety as it ebbs and flows depending on situations like the Colleyville terror attack.
A lived sense of unease, fear and anxiety is what Jews all too often contend with their whole lives because this ancient evil rears up all too often. What to do? At the least, it might be a good thing for non-Jews to call a Jewish friend simply to say you are thinking of them and asking how they are feeling and coping.
Reach out and hear what your Jewish neighbors are experiencing. Tell them you care.
Thomas Blom Chittick
Portland
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.