Jewish Doctor Asked Synagogue Gunman: How Are You Feeling?
The doctor who runs the hospital that treated the alleged perpetrator of the Sabbath-morning massacre in a Pittsburgh synagogue is also a member of that synagogue — and he introduced himself to the shooter.
Dr. Jeff Cohen lives in Tree of Life synagogue’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, and is the president of Allegheny General Hospital, which treated Robert Bowers.
Cohen told CNN about wanting to see if he could understand what motivated Bowers, and walking up to his hospital bed to introduce himself by name and ask the question every doctor asks every patient: How are you feeling?
Bowers was a bit groggy, and said he was feeling okay, and Cohen learned from the encounter that Bowers was not particularly bright, and felt that he had to rise up and defend “his people,” who were being slaughtered.
“The gentleman didn’t appear to be a member of the Mensa society,” Cohen said. “He listens to the noise, he hears the noise … He’s completely confused, and the words mean things. The words are leading to people doing things like this.”
Contact Helen Chernikoff at chernikoff@forward.com or on Twitter @thesimplechild
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.