Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Following jury selection, Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial to begin May 30

The start of the trial, more than four years after the attack took place, has surfaced a mix of emotions for residents of Squirrel Hill

(JTA) — The trial of the alleged shooter in the Pittsburgh synagogue attack is slated to begin May 30.

Jury selection for the federal trial began last month and is expected to end next week, according to the Pittsburgh Union Progress, a local publication, and the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, which are jointly covering the trial. The defendant, Robert Bowers, is accused of killing 11 worshippers from three congregations who were praying together on Oct. 27. 2018. He faces the death penalty.

Most observers expect the defendant to be convicted, which would result in a third phase of the trial focused on sentencing during which victims’ family members and other community leaders would testify. Some relatives of the massacre’s victims have pushed for Bowers to be executed, while leaders of two of the three congregations have previously advocated against the death penalty.

The start of the trial, more than four years after the attack took place, has surfaced a mix of emotions for residents of Squirrel Hill, the heavily Jewish neighborhood where it occurred. While many hope conviction will bring a sense of closure, there are concerns that the trial will re-traumatize survivors, families of victims and the broader community. In the lead-up to the trial, Shawn Brokos, director of community security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, has tracked an “uptick in hate speech” online, according to the Associated Press.

The alleged shooter is just the fourth person in Western Pennsylvania to ever face a federal death penalty. None of other three were executed.

JTA and the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle will be covering the full Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial. Can you help us raise $10,000 to support our coverage of this trial and power the future of Jewish journalism?

This article originally appeared on JTA.org.

A message from our CEO & publisher 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

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.