Colleyville is a documentary that plays out like a tense thriller, no differently than it was for people tuning into the news on January 15, 2022. This film marks the first time that both the hostages and their families share their stories of the harrowing crisis. It also features never-before-released security footage from that day.

I still remember coming back online on that motzi Shabbos. It felt like I was having to follow Jewish media more so than mainstream media for updates on the hostage crisis. I think it’s fair to say that many of us had never even heard of Colleyville prior to January 15. Even with an 80-minute running time, one gets a full sense of how things are playing out minute-by-minute. Filmmaker Dani Menkin utilizes the shul’s CCTV video throughout the day. If not for the Omicron wave in early 2022, there’s no doubt that it could have been worse than it actually was. Only Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three congregants–Jeffrey R. Cohen, Shane Woodward, Lawrence Schwartz–were in attendance for Shabbos services. Everyone else was tuning into the Reform shul’s service through Zoom or Facebook Live.

When a stranger shows up to the door, nobody viewed him as a threat. They felt he came off like someone needing shelter or something to eat. It was only once a gun clicked during the Amidah at 10:40 AM did they realize that this guy was not who they thought he was. What followed was a very harrowing crisis that would ultimately end with them escaping the shul and running for their lives.

Perhaps the most interesting decision by the gunman is that he didn’t take phones or order them destroyed. It’s only because of this that the rabbi and his congregants were able to reach out to family members. Otherwise, who knows just exactly when the cops would be called. The local cops were used to their town being safe, low on crime. They knew that they were nowhere near prepared for a crisis of this nature and brought the FBI in for assistance. The FBI had access to the CCTV cameras at some point during the crisis but the rabbi knew where they were and did his best to be on camera throughout the crisis. As for the gunman, he did his best to be off camera and asks to speak with Central Synagogue Rabbi Rabbi Angela Buchdahl about freeing his sister–not a biological sister.

A few national leaders make appearances. Archival clips show how president Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation. Then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was also following from Israel. During an on-camera interview, he mentions that he views every Jew as his brother and sister. Of course, he put out a statement about the crisis. FBI officials brief us on the gunman, his background, and of course, the terrorist he wants to see get a release from prison.

I remember when the high holidays used to be the only time when there was noticeable security at shuls. But after Pittsburgh, Poway, Colleyville, and October 7, security at shul has become increasingly common. Whether security at shuls becomes similar to shuls in Europe remains to be determined. What I do know is that there has been a surge in anti-Jewish hate following October 7. Since Colleyville in 2022, it honestly feels less safe to be Jewish in America now than three years ago. I wish I weren’t such a pessimist on this end. I really do. However, I’ve seen how leftists so easily buy into antisemitic propaganda and it’s scary.

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER: Dani Menkin
FEATURING: Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, Jeffrey R. Cohen, Shane Woodward, Lawrence Schwartz, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Naftali Bennett, Matt Desarno, Brett Letterman, Michael C. Miller, Richard Newton, Adena Cytron-Walker, Karen Jewell, Jennifer Woodward

Colleyville holds its Florida premiere during the 2025 Miami Jewish Film Festival. Grade: 4/5

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