SAN DIEGO — The Jewish community is still trying to make sense of what's being called an act of terror. Congregants and a rabbi were taken hostage for hours at a Texas synagogue on Saturday.
For San Diego Rabbi Jason Nevarez, this is an incident that hits close to home.
"It was pretty challenging to say the least," says Nevarez who is Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in San Diego.
Nevarez and the rabbi taken hostage on Saturday, Charlie Cytron-Walker are long-time friends and former classmates from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.
After college, the pair were classmates at a seminary in Jerusalem during the height of the Palestinian uprising. It was a dangerous time where Nevarez says they dealt with traumatic situations often.
Following the incident, Rabbi Cytron-Walker is being hailed as a hero after it was learned that during the standoff he was able to distract the gunman by throwing a chair allowing the hostages to escape.
Nevarez said he's not surprised by his friend's brave actions describing him as someone with a calm demeanor.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the situation in Texas is just the latest in an uptick of incidents of extremism and antisemitism seen across the country, 8,000 reported in the last two years alone.
While security has become an everyday necessity at places of worship, Nevarez said putting an end to the violence starts with education and coming together.
"We have to build more bridges, we can't stand idly by while our neighbor bleeds," he said.
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