Almost three months after being rocked by a hostage crisis, a Colleyville synagogue reopens Friday.
On January 15, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three congregants at Congregation Beth Israel were taken hostage during their live-streamed Saturday Shabbat service.
The ordeal ended with all hostages making it out unharmed and law enforcement shooting the hostage-taker dead.
Tonight, for the first time since that ordeal nearly three months ago, Congregation Beth Israel will hold a worship service in its own synagogue.
"It is a real celebration for us to be able to be back in our spiritual home, our house of gathering, our house of prayer, our house of study," Rabbi Cytron-Walker tells KRLD news.
In the wake of the hostage crisis, the community came together to donate their time and materials to restore the synagogue.
"We have new carpets, we have new tile, we have new paint, (and) we have new glass doors," Rabbi Cytron-Walker says.
During the repairs, organizations opened their doors to the congregation.
"We have been hosted graciously by the Colleyville center and by the First United Methodist Church of Colleyville," says Rabbi Cytron-Walker. "They have been absolutely amazing, so wonderful, so hospitable."
Tonight's service will be open to members of the Beth Israel community; tomorrow morning, the congregation will welcome those who helped restore the facility and helped the community heal.
"We have people from government on all levels," Cytron-Walker says. "We have people from different religious organizations and community organizations. We have contractors and so many other people in the construction industry."
If you'd like to help Beth Israel celebrate its grand reopening this weekend, Rabbi Cytron-Walker invites you to watch the livestream on its Facebook page.
Members of the community at large are welcome to visit the synagogue next weekend; Rabbi Cytron-Walker is asking anyone outside the temple community who would like to attend to pre-register.
As for how the community is doing mentally, Cytron-Walker says they're doing well.
"Everybody's working through things in their own way; but in general, we're doing really well," says Cytron-Walker, who says he's talked with four therapists since being held hostage. "The most healing thing that we can do is what we are doing, which is coming back together and being together as a community, in our sacred space."
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