According to reports on Forward, the rabbi who was allegedly held hostage with three other people at Congregation Beth Israel on January 15 will be leaving his position at the synagogue in June.
Per the publication, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker resigned in the fall after the congregation’s board voted not to renew his contract.
According to an email sent out by Cindy Whitton, the treasurer of Congregation Beth Israel, the synagogue’s board of directors planned to recommend against renewing the rabbi’s contract ahead of a congregational meeting required by its bylaws.
However, according to the email, the rabbi opted not to go to the membership for a vote, instead electing to leave when his contract expires in June.
“The board believes that the synagogue needs a new spark after fifteen years,” Whitton wrote in the email sent out to former congregant Neal Gray, citing declining membership and low religious school enrollment.
The Dallas Morning News also reported that a representative for Congregation Beth Israel confirmed the rabbi’s departure while also revealing that the congregation is focused on putting Saturday’s hostage incident behind them.
“At this moment, the focus is on helping the rabbi, his family, Congregation Beth Israel, and the broader Jewish community in Colleyville, Texas, heal,” synagogue spokeswoman Jennifer Farmer said, according to The DMN. “In terms of his transition, he has served this congregation for nearly two decades, and he has made tremendous sacrifices on behalf of the community. Regardless of where he lands, most people will still consider him their friend and rabbi.”
Cytron-Walker, who told media outlets in the aftermath of the hostage situation that he had engineered his and the other three hostages’ escape by throwing a chair at the gunman, was widely praised for his heroic efforts.
In an interview with CBS Mornings, Cytron-Walker revealed that he allowed 44-year-old Malik Faisal Akram, the alleged hostage-taker, into the synagogue after he knocked at the door and looked like he needed shelter.
Cytron-Walker revealed that he made Akram a cup of tea, and both of them talked for a while before the 44-year-old pulled out a gun during the congregations at 10 a.m. Shabbat service.