Condemning the Heinous Terrorist Attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, this January 15, 2022, tragedy struck a community in my home State of Texas. A terrorist held four people hostage at a Jewish synagogue for 11 hours. We are immensely grateful that each hostage ultimately escaped unharmed, though the psychological scars are real for the victims and lasting for the community.

This act of terrorism has no place in our society.

Today, my colleagues, in the strongest terms and means possible, firmly and fiercely condemn the terrorist's acts and condemn those who target any Americans, and in this instance our Jewish brothers and sisters.

Early in the morning on Saturday, January 15, 2022, the Congregation Beth Israel near Fort Worth, Texas, was targeted.

At this synagogue, worshipers welcomed the attacker inside. The rabbi even made him tea. The worshipers faced Jerusalem and began to pray. The attacker then pulled out his weapon, and an 11-hour standoff ensued.

That Saturday, America held its breath. We prayed for the safe return of loved ones and family members.

No one in America should ever face this kind of fear and terror and evil.

The worshipers at Congregation Beth Israel showed remarkable courage when faced with evil in their own house of worship.

And all Americans rose to the occasion when our sisters and brothers faced this kind of adversity. The four hostages, including the rabbi, battled their attacker. Later, the hostages were able to escape, and the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team secured the synagogue.

Americans, as one, rushed in to support Congregation Beth Israel. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Americans of all faiths and others prayed for the Texas community and for those victims this past January.

Our hearts go out to the families of this congregation that they had to endure such an unjust evil that this terrorist caused. Thank God they escaped.

Today, we support the community of Colleyville, Texas. Today, we support Congregation Beth Israel. And today, we support the brave survivors of this heinous attack.

We applaud the bravery of Congregation Beth Israel, the survivors, and our heroes in blue, Texas law enforcement.

As patriotic freedom-loving Americans, we condemn the evil and the darkness of anti-Semitism. And we will fight hate and bigotry and anti- Semitism.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Wasserman Schultz), chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for bringing this resolution to the floor.

I rise today in support of this bipartisan resolution condemning the horrific domestic terrorist attack in Colleyville, Texas.

Saturday, January 15, 2022, was supposed to be a day of rest and prayer for Jews across the world. Instead, it was a day of hate, fear, and violence.

Four people walked into Congregation Beth Israel as worshipers, but they walked out as survivors. Their Jewish identity alone put them at risk of inherent danger. They were ordinary citizens distinguished only by their faith.

In 2022, this may seem unfathomable. Tragically, it is not.

It is clear that the terrorist responsible subscribed to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and dangerous tropes.

Due to the valiant efforts and skills of first responders and the bravery of these hostages, these worshipers made it out safely.

While no one was physically hurt, the trauma leaves scars far deeper than any headline could convey. Those wounds and trauma are felt not only in Texas, but they reverberate all over this country in Jewish communities and Jewish sanctuaries all over the United States and the world.

Generations of Jews have faced and continue to face bigotry, hate, and violence every day. Jews are attacked on public streets, assaulted, and our synagogues are vandalized.

Anti-Semitic literature has been distributed in neighborhoods in many parts of this country, including my community in South Florida.

Anti-Semitism is rising at an alarming rate, and an astounding amount of it has become mainstream.

One in four American Jews has been the target of anti-Semitism over the past year. Four in 10 have changed their behavior out of fear of anti-Semitism. That includes people being afraid to wear a Star of David in public and men afraid to wear a kippah who would wear one normally in their everyday life.

On a personal note, as the first Jewish woman elected to Congress from Florida, my family and I know what it feels like to be the target of anti-Semitic hate.

To combat this scourge in our communities, leaders throughout our country must clearly, firmly, and forcefully denounce the alarming rise in rampant hate, violence, and harassment targeting Jewish Americans.

Today's resolution is an important condemnation of one act, but we must go further. It is time for this body to vote on a resolution that unambiguously and singularly denounces anti-Semitism.

It should not take a domestic terrorist attack for this body to do that.

We need an unequivocal, bipartisan condemnation of anti-Semitism. Enough is enough.

We must denounce the alarming rise in anti-Semitism in the United States and globally and issue a call for real action to combat it.

Hatred and bigotry against one community are often only a symptom of a deeper problem affecting all ethnic, racial, and religious minorities. This resolution condemns a terrible incident, but we must condemn the underlying root cause of anti-Semitism.

I thank Congresswoman Van Duyne, my good friend, for bringing today's resolution to the floor.

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Mr. FALLON. Van Duyne).

Ms. VAN DUYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my resolution condemning the anti-Semitic terrorist attack in Colleyville earlier this year. And I thank my colleagues from Florida and New York for their kind words today.

On January 15, we witnessed a heinous attack, not only on our community in north Texas, but on the entire Jewish community when a terrorist entered the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue and took four worshipers hostage.

It was disturbing to see such hate enter our peaceful community in Colleyville and threaten the lives of the worshipers who had welcomed this man with open arms. Many questions remain on how or why this act of evil occurred, but let's appreciate our law enforcement for ultimately protecting the lives of those in harm's way. Also, I thank Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker for his courageous actions that led to the safe escape of his fellow hostages in the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue that day.

I am grateful so many of my colleagues joined in support of this resolution condemning the terrorist attack and reaffirming our commitment to combat hate, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and violence against Jewish Americans. Specifically, I thank Representative Marc Veasey for his kindness and work in securing many bipartisan supporters.

H. Res. 881 clearly establishes our unequivocal support for the Colleyville community, the hostages, and all those affected by the terrorist act. It also commends the Federal, State, and local law enforcement and emergency responders who all pulled together for our community that day.

This resolution will not only condemn this act of hate but bring light to the anti-Semitism plaguing our country. As you have heard from comments from my colleagues from New York and from Florida, Jewish Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the antireligious crimes in America, and that must end. No American of any religion should experience fear in a house of worship.

Thank you to all who joined me in this effort and made this the most supported piece of legislation in the 117th Congress. We look forward to seeing this pass on the House floor today, putting aside our differences and uniting in the face of hatred.

I am closing with a simple statement.

We must end terrorism and anti-Semitism here in the United States.

The violence suffered in Colleyville could have happened anywhere in America.

Let's take a minute to review some Jewish history. It literally began in that fateful year of 1492 when Europeans arrived in the New World, and a number of Jews fought alongside George Washington in the American Revolution.

And the first Jewish man to give his life for this country was also ironically the first Jew to be elected to public office in the Colonies: Francis Salvador.

By 1840, the Jewish-American community was tiny, only 15,000 out of 17 million, but it was strong and it was stable and it was prosperous. And within a decade it had tripled. At the time of the Civil War, there were only 150,000 Jews in America, but nearly 10 percent fought in the Civil War.

During the 19th century, the repression and the old world of Jews in Europe just became too much for so many, and by 1924, two million European Jews had immigrated to the United States.

Jewish Americans have woven a rich tapestry into the history of our Nation.

Jonas Salk discovered the polio vaccine. How many lives did that one man save?

Richard Feynman was an American physicist and was integral in formulating quantum physics.

What is even more remarkable is the percentage of Jews that have won Nobel Prizes. Twenty-two percent of all Nobel Prize winners had Jewish heritage, and 36 percent of American winners had Jewish heritage. It is remarkable.

It is refreshing to be on the floor and have both sides agree, and there is power in that, and there is strength in that, and I urge this Congress and all Americans to join me in condemning these violent acts and the evil of anti-Semitism. We are a beautiful and wonderful country, and we have to act like it.

My heart goes out to the hostages and their families for undergoing this terrorist attack in the beautiful and wonderful community of Colleyville, Texas, who are fortunate enough to be represented by such a wonderful Member of Congress in Beth Van Duyne. Our prayers are with the victims and their families.

Mr. Speaker, it is great to be here on the floor with you today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I call upon all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important resolution, H. Res. 881, and to join me in condemning, in the strongest terms, the heinous attack on Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville, Texas, on January 15 of this year.

Mr. Speaker, anti-Semitism is a growing crisis, both in the United States and across the world, and we need to stand up together to denounce anti-Semitism and hate. This resolution does just that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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