>> i threw a chair at the gunman and i headed for the door, and all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired. >> reporter: the suspect died after the fbi moved in. his family says he suffered from mental illness. jeffrey cohen was one of the hostages. >> at one point the terrorist let us call our families. i made calls to my wife and son and basically told them i'm here, he basically has a bomb, things don't look good right now, i love you, and remember me. >> reporter: this attack highlights what rabbi andrew paley calls an ever-present threat for the jewish community. >> no one wants to have armed security or other layers of security around them. that's not the vision of a world we want to live in. >> reporter: in 2019 one person was killed when a man with a machete attacked people at a hanukkah celebration in new york.