Tag Archives: pittsburgh shooting

The sentencing of Tree of Life synagogue killer Robert Bowers raises disturbing questions about antisemitism’s link to mental illness, the deterrence value of the death penalty and the value of hate-crime laws.

When the perpetrator of this act of racist and antisemitic violence was found guilty on all counts this past June, I felt a palpable sense of relief. Justice had been done and this evil human would be punished for his horrific crime. Upon hearing the news that he would be given the death penalty, however, I felt a sense of unease and trauma – similar to what I felt when I learned about his murderous act in the first place.

Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is currently forced to relive the murders of 11 members of three congregations who gathered to worship at Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018, and  the experience is obviously most traumatic for surviving victims who testified at the alleged gunman’s trial.

JEWISHcolorado is helping to organize this Shabbat as National Solidarity Shabbat, a time to convene in your local synagogue to mourn the victims in Pittsburgh as well as to demonstrate that our Jewish communities will not be intimidated.

We invite you to continue to join us by gathering people in your communities and networks for a Together at the Table dinner to engage in constructive dialogue.

Representatives of the member organizations of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and other local and national Jewish leaders gathered together to discuss the aftermath of the attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh, the state of anti-Semitism in the United States, and steps to enhance the protection of American Jewish communities and institutions.

CU Boulder Hillel and Chabad at University of Colorado will stand together in solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Tree of Life Congregation on the CU campus on Tuesday, October 30th.

Tonight there was a very powerful and moving vigil at JW3, London's JCC, for the victims of Pittsburgh. 

JEWISHcolorado and the JCRC released a joint statement on the Pittsburgh shooting.

Pittsburgh is obviously weighing heavily on our hearts today.

We invite you to join us as we gather tomorrow at Congregation Har HaShem at 4:30 pm for a unified and healing response to the shooting at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Shabbat is supposed to be a “taste of the World to Come.” But this Shabbat was desecrated by a man filled with hate, carrying weapons of murder into a sacred space. 

We are all grief-stricken by the anti-Semitic attack on the worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

In these challenging times, we have to sustain the vision of a nation and a world where our freedoms of expression and practice, whoever we are, are cherished and protected.

This is an attack on all of us, and we grieve with the families who have lost loved ones and pray for the recovery of those who are injured. 

The Anti-Defamation League Mountain States Region expressed shock and deep sadness following the horrific and fatal anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh Saturday.