jews in the d

on the cover

As News Spread …

PITTSBURGH POLICE DEPARTMENT

A gunman shattered the peace of
Shabbat morning services at Tree
of Life synagogue in the close-knit
Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh
Saturday, Oct. 27,
when he entered and
killed 11 people and
wounded six others,
including four police
officers.
Reports say appre-
Robert Bowers hended suspect Robert
Bowers uttered “All
Jews must die” before opening fire
with an assault rifle and three hand-
guns during his 20-minute spree.
Authorities found he regularly posted
hate speech online, particularly at a
site called Gab.
The Department of Justice has
charged Bowers with 29 feder-
al counts, including 11 counts of
obstructing the exercise of religious
beliefs resulting in death. Attorney
General Jeff Sessions said the charges
could lead to the death penalty.
Charges filed by the Allegheny
County District Attorney’s Office include
11 counts of homicide, six counts of
attempted homicide, six counts of
aggravated assault and 13 counts of
ethnic intimidation, which are consid-
ered hate crimes. Bowers appeared in
court Monday, where he was ordered
held without bail for a preliminary
hearing on Thursday.
According to the Anti-Defamation
League, this shooting is believed to
be the most deadly attack against the
Jewish community in U.S. history.

Detroiters react to shooting at
Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Congregation.

STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

hroughout the Detroit Metro
area, Jews turned to social
media to check on their
friends and loved ones as they
learned of the devastating news of
the mass shooting Saturday, Oct.
27, at Tree of Life Congregation in
Squirrel Hill, a neighborhood in
Pittsburgh. While some waited until
after sundown, others who do not
normally use electronics on Shabbat
tuned in to the shocking news of the
shooting.
Many in the area, who themselves
were in services on Shabbat morning,
pondered their own family ties to
Pittsburgh and the safety and
security of Detroit’s temples and
synagogues.
About 27 wor-
shippers gathered at
Congregation Shaarey
Zedek Sunday for
Shacharit services.
Rabbi Aaron Starr told
them to pay special
Rabbi Aaron
attention to prayers in
Starr
the siddur for healing,
comfort and peace, and
that they should make a special point
to thank and shake the hand of the
congregation’s security guard before
they left the building.
Starr told congregants his emo-
tions fluctuated between sadness and
rage since hearing the news of the
shootings.
“We are all in mourning now,”
Starr said. “There are times like this
when we feel that God is hiding His

face from us. But, in reality, it is
these times that God is giving us the
space we need to stand up and act.”
The best way to act, he continued,
is to remain committed to congrega-
tional life.
“There are going to be people who
will say, ‘Let’s not go to shul because
they hate us,’ or ‘Let’s not be Jewish
because people hate us,’” Starr said.
“The moment we stop going to syn-
agogue or conceal our Jewishness is
the moment the terrorists win. Your
presence here this morning is a mes-
sage to the anti-Semites around the
world: You may have won by taking
precious lives away from us yester-
day, but you will not
win tomorrow.”
After services on
Saturday, Sam Arnold,
17, of Farmington Hills
said he spent a great
deal of time on social
Sam Arnold
media checking to see
if the Pittsburgh friends
he made through Camp Ramah, USY
and during a summer program at the
Jewish Theological Seminary in New
York City were OK.
“A friend who lived in the Squirrel
Hill neighborhood wrote to me that
when she heard about the shooting,
she wanted to rush to the synagogue,
stand outside of it, wrap herself in a
tallit and recite the Tehillim (Psalms
of David),” Arnold said. “That is
what we all need to do now at a
time like this. Recite the Tehillim
to increase goodness and joy in this

continued on page 14

12

November 1 • 2018

jn

SAMANTHA STOLOFF

Pittsburgh Shooting:
The Facts

Eva Rosen, a senior from Squirrel Hill,
Pa., is comforted by a friend at the vigil
held on the Diag at the University of
Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 28.

