local
Charlie Cytron-Walker,
Rabbi From 2022 Texas Hostage
Situation, Visits Philadelphia
Stephen Silver
M From left: Jane Eisner, the director of academic aff airs at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University,
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and Reverend Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal
Church in Philadelphia
to the gunman — were donated to
the Weitzman National Museum of
American Jewish History. And on April
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6 MAY 4, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
27, Cytron-Walker visited Philadelphia
and was reunited with those items for
the fi rst time.

“If this exhibit, if its presence here can
help raise awareness, and bring atten-
tion, and call attention to the antisem-
itism that exists with our world, it’s
very much a positive and hopefully,
we’re going to start to see reductions
of hate,” Cytron-Walker told the Jewish
Exponent in an interview.

The museum
approached Congregation Beth Israel shortly after
the hostage situation about the items,
and Josh Perelman, the museum’s chief
curator, revealed that the FBI had to
clear the chair before it was approved
for donation to the museum.

Cytron-Walker has since switched
pulpits, taking over last summer at
Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina. He explained how the
experience has changed how he views
his work.

“It hasn’t really changed my approach
to how I am a rabbi and who I am as
a rabbi. It’s given me an opportunity
to raise awareness about issues of
security, raise awareness about issues
of antisemitism … but in terms of my
approach to the congregation, and the
community, the importance of relation-
ships, the importance of supporting
one another, in every moment of life,
the importance of being welcoming to
all members of my community — that
incident hasn’t impacted me in that
respect.” The incident has caused the rabbi to
think about the balance between the
Jewish commandment to welcome the
stranger and concerns about security.

“It’s just affi rmed the importance of No.

1, making sure that security protocols,
emergency procedures, that these are
things that a congregation or a commu-
nity has thought about in advance- and
that’s not just a Jewish thing, that’s an
everybody thing,” he said. “We need to
know what the emergency procedures
... what happens in a community when
everything doesn’t go right … and if
you know that, and you’re prepared for
those moments, then the welcome that
you can give and the hospitality that
can be off ered, should come naturally,
and should come wholeheartedly.”
The rabbi, who has family in the
area, was in Philadelphia to see the
artifacts, to meet with the local board
of the Anti-Defamation League, and to
participate in an event that evening at
the Weitzman called “Faith in the Face
of Hate.” Cytron-Walker and Reverend
Mark Kelly Tyler, pastor of Mother Bethel
African Methodist Episcopal Church
See Cytron-Walker, page 22
Photos by Stephen SIlver
ost Jews in Philadelphia, and the
United States, remember where
they were on Jan. 15, 2022, when a
gunman held four people hostage at
Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville,
Texas. After the 11-hour ordeal, the
synagogue’s rabbi, Charlie Cytron-
Walker, threw a chair at the gunman,
leading himself and the other hostages
out the door before the FBI Hostage
Rescue Team entered the synagogue
and shot the gunman.

Just over a year ago, two artifacts
from that day — the chair the rabbi
threw, and the cup of tea he off ered



local
Michael Solomonov
Headlines Jewish
Federation’s Taste
of Israel Festival
Jarrad Saff ren | Staff Writer
Courtesy of Steve Legato
J ames Beard Foundation
award-winning chef
Michael Solomonov didn’t
set out in his career to
depoliticize Israel. The
Israeli just wanted to
connect with his home
country by cooking its food
— and then sharing that
food with others.

But in Philadelphia, at
least, his popular restau-
rants Zahav, Abe Fisher
and others have trans-
formed the Jewish state
from a political position
to a culture, and one with
Michael Solomonov
fi ve-star dishes at that.

Now, on May 7 at the
Kaiserman JCC campus in Wynnewood, Kosher food. Regardless of your practice,
Solomonov and the Philadelphia area you’ll feel welcomed,” said Jeff rey
Jewish community will celebrate those Lasday, the Federation’s senior chief of
dishes. The Jewish Federation of external aff airs, of the food festival. “It’s
Greater Philadelphia is hosting a Taste an opportunity to taste all the diff erent
of Israel Festival from 1-5 p.m. as part tastes of Israel.”
Solomonov’s story has been told
of its month-long celebration of the
Jewish state’s 75th birthday. Solomonov before, but it’s worth reiterating: Born
is headlining a “tasting area and cooking in Israel and raised in Pittsburgh, it was
demonstrations,” according to israel75. the Jewish state that inspired his career
choices. At 18, he moved back to Israel
jewishphilly.org. The Federation’s birthday party for and got a job in a bakery because he
Israel has already included a community couldn’t speak Hebrew. The job made
mitzvah day and Shabbat gatherings him realize that he wanted to be a
around the area. Doing mitzvahs and chef, so he attended culinary school
using the Sabbath to refl ect are very in Florida, moved to Philadelphia and
much in line with Jewish and Israeli worked in upscale Italian and American
values. But it would not be a Jewish restaurants, including one owned by
celebration if it did not culminate with future partner Steve Cook. Solomonov
food, as the Taste of Israel Festival is the and Cook opened a Mexican restaurant,
last U.S. event on the Federation’s Israel Xochitl, before they started focusing on
75 calendar. (A trip to Israel for those Israeli cuisine.

But in 2003, Solomonov’s brother
who are interested and can pay is also a
David, an Israel Defense Forces volun-
part of the month.)
“It’s a celebration. It’s a big party. teer, was killed by enemy snipers on
the border of Lebanon. Solomonov and
Cook decided to open their fi rst Israeli
restaurant, Zahav, fi ve years later.

Today, their restaurant group,
CookNSolo, has a lineup of Israeli,
Philadelphia-based eateries focusing
on falafel (Goldie), hummus (Dizengoff )
and other Israeli delicacies. Cooking,
of course, is not a political act, as
Solomonov explains. But it can present a
diff erent side of Israel to American Jews
and non-Jews.

“Oftentimes, Israel gets sort of a bad
rap, and I feel like being able to celebrate
or promote things that are often not
seen in mainstream media, things that
are cultural, is an opportunity for us,”
Solomonov said.

The chef believes that Jewish food
has a “weird reputation” in America. It’s
deli or it’s blintzes, or it’s … whatever, as
Solomonov put it. But Jewish food in the
old country was more complex than that,
according to Solomonov. The range just
hasn’t emigrated to the United States.

The restaurateur’s career mission,
stated or not, is to ensure that the diver-
sity of Israeli cuisine does emigrate to
the rest of the Diaspora.

“I’m proud of what we’ve done,” he
said. “We just felt like we’d open Zahav,
and then things sort of took off from
there.” Now, Israelis and Jews are repre-
sented in the American dining scene.

“In certain ways, there’s a truth to
it. Food represents humanity. I try to
be as non-political as I can about this,
which is challenging because every-
body wants to make Israel a talking
point,” Solomonov said. “If you make
really good food and promote inclusion,
I think people are chill.”
“I’m not going to say that making
challah is going to create peace in the
Middle East. But opening a door to
a conversation increases productivity
among people,” he added.

Tickets for the Taste of Israel Festival
are $18 for adults, $7 for children and
free for kids 3 and under. You can regis-
ter and pay at israel75.jewishphilly.org.

Solomonov hopes to see you there.

“The easiest way to connect with
where I’m from is by making Israeli food.

The easiest thing to give me satisfaction
is sharing it with other people,” he said.

“That’s what this event is for.” ■
jsaff ren@midatlanticmedia.com
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