What is going on in this world? Another hostage taking at a Jewish Synagogue? A Rabbi felt sorry for a man on a chilly day in Colleyville, Texas. He let the man in to get warm. He made him a cup of tea. Next thing you know the Rabbi and several congregants are taken hostage.
Thankfully the situation came to a safe conclusion.
Remember the good old days when churches and synagogues would leave there doors open, sometimes 24 hours a day. This sadly is not the case anymore. But there are still plenty of churches and synagogues and other religious institutions that despite the actions of a few open their doors serving meals to those in need and providing food for the hungry and shelter for those without a roof over there heads. We care about our fellow men and woman.
Colleyville, Texas. I had never heard of it before. My sister did. She knows a family who moved there a number of years ago. My Rabbi did. He served as a Student Rabbi in Colleyville flying from Cincinnati (where he was studying) to Texas every other Friday for 2 years for 48 hours leading Shabbat services, training B’nai Mitzvah students, teaching Adult Ed, and reflect with students preparing for conversion.
I’m always amazed when situations like this occur and there is some local connection. But that’s not the point of this article. The question I raise with you is do we all need security training to go about our lives in 2022? These hostage situations happen in schools, supermarkets, malls, post office facilities, grocery stores basically practically everywhere we go on a daily basis. Sadly way too often.
It use to be everyone had their Red Cross CPR and First Aid training certificates. Though my certificate has expired, if I know I am going to be in a place with a lot of people I brush up on the latest CPR techniques god forbid I have the need to use them. Do we have to add security training and active shooter training to the list of what we must know?
I remember going on a plane right after September 11. I saw a man come on the plane with a guitar that he stored in the overhead bin. I looked to see where it was in case god forbid hijackers attempted to take control of the plane. My thought was I would open the bin and smack the hijacker on the head with it knocking him or her out.I’m no Superman, but when you get in these terrible situations you have to think fast.
Federal agencies are still checking how the hostage taker got into this country. The British man who took the four people hostage before being killed was known to British intelligence services, according to a U.S. official and British news media reports. He had been on the watch list of Britain’s MI5 security service as a “subject of interest” in 2020, according to an American official briefed on the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.
But by the time he flew to the United States, he had been deemed to no longer be a risk, the BBC reported Tuesday. The Guardian, citing government sources, reported that it was a midlevel investigation in the second half of 2020.
We have always welcomed those from other countries to our great land. The question is can we continue to do this particularly with people who are ‘subjects of interest’ or on ‘watch lists?’
Even if we gave sophisticated security training to every American, sadly what happened in Colleyville is not going to stop. We have great resources on the internet regarding security training and many available from federal, state and local authorities. Don’t get yourself crazy but you might want to check them out.
And please pray for the people of Colleyville, Texas that they will heal from this sad episode. And pray, yes pray as we so often do that nothing like this ever happens again.
HOT TOPICS
Former New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio is not running for Governor. Hallelujah!
Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams does not feel safe on the New York City Subways. And you and I are supposed to?
I have received some emails that some of the 10 minute parking time buttons on Yonkers Parking Authority (YPA) street parking meters have been removed. We can not let this happen. Businesses cannot let this happen. The Yonkers Chamber of Commerce can not let this happen. I have contacted the
Yonkers Parking Authority about this and received no response as of press time. I travel around a lot. New York City and Philadelphia to name two big cities that I go to (as well as White Plains, a littler city). The Yonkers machines where you have to put your license plate in are more complicated then the machines of New York City, Philadelphia and White Plains where you put in money for time periods, no license plate numbers. Our wonderful seniors tell me they have the most problems with the sophisticated Yonkers parking machines.
Eric, you write a story mentioning red light cameras and the mail comes flooding in! Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey, a supporter of Red Light Cameras says the new Republican Majority will take a hard look at Red Light Cameras and whether they cause more accidents then prevent them. McCaffrey is questioning if Red Light Cameras are really for safety or are they for revenue generation. My buddy former Mount Vernon Major Ernie Davis was the most upfront elected official admitting these cameras are for generating revenue not for safety. Yonkers needs a study, not done by City Hall nor the company that lobbied for the City and the company that runs Yonkers’ Red Light Camera Program. Anyone with a brain knows these cameras are money generators for Yonkers. Hey, maybe the New Yonkers City Council Democrat and Republican ruling majority will put an end to these devices or at least make sure the timing on the lights is correct.
A periodic reminder. Acquaint yourself with the locations of Yonkers Red Light Cameras which you will find at www.yonkersny.gov/live/parking-transportation/parking-violations-bureau/red-light-cameras-how-it-works-locations or google Yonkers New York Red Camera Light locations.
As we go to press another high truck has hit a low bridge in Westchester. When will this stop? County Executive George Latimer believes that if the Federal Government requires GPS systems on trucks to be commercial grade GPS systems the problem will be solved. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. Wait, maybe my Congressman Jamaal Bowman, still after my $3 campaign donation will get legislation on this matter through Congress. I won’t donate $3 to his campaign, but since he is my neighbor I will buy him a cup of coffee, Dunkin, Starbucks, Panera wherever he wishes!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
