Jan. 15, 2022, was a cold day in Colleyville, Texas, a suburb 15 miles north of Fort Worth. At Congregation Beth Israel that morning, only five men were present: Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, Jeff Cohen, Shane Woodward, Larry Schwartz, and a new guest, Malik Akram.
Akram, who appeared to be homeless, had knocked on the door that morning. Despite objections from Schwartz, who felt uneasy about the man, Cytron-Walker let him in. The guest was offered tea and then the service began. What happened next was witnessed by some congregation members via Zoom, as they had stayed home that day.
An hour after the Rabbi let him in from the cold, Akram pointed a gun at the praying men and took them hostage. Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen from a family who had immigrated from Pakistan, demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani national and alleged al-Qaeda operative imprisoned in nearby Fort Worth.
Filmmaker Dani Menkin was at home in Los Angeles, glued to the news like many others around the world. Police monitored the security cameras as the drama unfolded, a live thriller with an unlikely hero. Cytron-Walker kept cool and calm as he talked to the police and relayed Akram’s demands. The standoff lasted nearly 11 hours and ended with the hostages escaping unharmed and the gunman dead.
Photo: Hey Jude Productions
Menkin is an Israeli-American director who has made primarily documentaries. Among his successful and award-winning films: “Aulcie,” about basketball player Aulcie Perry, and “On the Map,” about the Israeli basketball team Maccabi Tel Aviv winning the 1977 European championship. He felt that that this hostage situation would make an amazing feature film. However, four months later, after meeting Rabbi Charlie and the hostages in person, he changed his mind. “Once I learned there was footage from inside the synagogue as all of this played out, I knew I had to make this documentary,” he said.
On June 23, Menkin’s documentary “Colleyville” will have its U.S. premiere at the Museum of Tolerance as part of the Jewish Film Festival.
Despite the well-known outcome of that day’s events, the documentary keeps you on the edge of your seat. Menkin was able to obtain both the security footage and recordings from the FBI and police and he interviewed the hostages and their families. In an interview with The Journal, he admitted it wasn’t easy.
“It took me four months to meet with them. I tried reaching out to them like many other journalists, but I was directed to a PR person whose job was to prevent me and everyone else from getting to them because they just wanted to move on with their lives,” Menkin said
JJ: How did you get them to agree to meet you?
“I was able to get in touch with Rabbi Charlie through a mutual friend, Rabbi Brian Zimmerman, whom I met at the Dallas Jewish Film Festival. Initially, we met on Zoom, but I realized that wouldn’t be enough, so I flew to Texas to meet him and the hostages face-to-face.”
JJ: How were you able to convince them to participate?
“At first, they weren’t interested in doing a film or even being interviewed. I arrived without cameras, simply to meet and talk with them. We had a great connection, and they felt they could trust me to tell their story.”
JJ: How about the FBI? How were you able to get their material?
“I submitted a request twice, but since the case was still under investigation, I didn’t get the material at first. It took a year of effort and persistence. Eventually, the FBI understood that I was making a film that would portray them in a positive light and they agreed. I received 13 hours of footage from 13 security cameras and the phone recordings from the police. Then, I synchronized them perfectly.”
JJ: One of the hostages, Shane Woodward, was in the process of converting to Judaism. Did he end up converting?
“Yes. One of the funniest moments in the film is when Shane approached Rabbi Charlie during those horrible 10 hours and said, ‘I still intend to convert.’ Rabbi Charlie cracked up. A few weeks later, Shane completed his conversion and now he is more Jewish than many other Jews.”
JJ: Several festivals fought over the rights to premiere the film. That’s quite the compliment.
“True. I think it’s because the story is more relevant today than when we started it, especially following Oct. 7. It offers a different angle on the subject of antisemitism, but the motive is the same. In Colleyville, it’s a terrorist who repeatedly says that he loves death more than we, Jews, love life. This is the same mantra as Hamas.”
JJ: What’s the thing that touched you the most during the making of this film?
“I wanted to show that even during the hardest times, when the end didn’t seem to be good, the Muslim community reached out and came to support them. In a world where we often hear opposing stories, it was important to show this side.” – Dani Menkin
“After listening to Rabbi Charlie speak in front of his congregation, I fell in love with him and his steadfast loyalty to his values despite everything that happened. I think he represents the Jewish nation very well. The second thing is the special relationship this community has with the Muslim community in town. They have great relationships with all religions, but especially the Muslim one. I wanted to show that even during the hardest times, when the end didn’t seem to be good, the Muslim community reached out and came to support them. In a world where we often hear opposing stories, it was important to show this side.”
JJ: Did this event change anything about their security policy? Will they let strangers in?
“They made many changes to their security, but their core value of loving the stranger didn’t change. If a homeless person wanted to come into the synagogue tomorrow, they would let him in after going through their security protocol. They believe that if this event made them less accepting and less kind to others, it would be giving victory to terror. This is one of the most important things we wanted to portray in the film.”
The North American Premiere of “Colleyville” will take place at the Museum of Tolerance on June 23 at 7:30 followed by a Q&A with Dani Menkin & guests.
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