Pittsburgh Jews ‘Heartbroken’ After Poway Synagogue Shooting Six Months Later
The police presence continues outside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Image by Aiden Pink/The Forward
By Aiden Pink April 28, 2019
Jewish institutions in Pittsburgh expressed their condolences after a gunman killed one person and injured three more at a synagogue in California on Saturday – six months to the day after a similar attack in the Steel City.
“Our hearts are broken once again by the horrifying attack against a synagogue in San Diego,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh wrote on its Facebook page. “As a community that experienced violence, we offer our sympathy to the Jewish community there.”
Rodef Shalom Congregation’s Facebook post was simple: “Our hearts are in California as we continue to stand together against hate.”
Eleven people were killed at the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, by a gunman who allegedly shouted “all Jews must die.” It was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history, and led Jewish institutions around the country to reevaluate their security protocols.
Like the Pittsburgh gunman, the suspect in the Poway attack used an AR-style assault rifle, San Diego County Sheriff William Dore said on Saturday. While authorities have not yet publicly released a motive in this case, Poway mayor Steve Vaus told CNN that he believed a hate crime had occurred, “because of statements that were made when the shooter entered.”
Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor for the Forward. You can reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
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.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
