Pittsburgh synagogue shooting strikes at vibrant Jewish community
The neighborhood’s unity has been evident in the wake of the murders during sabbath services.
Police and FBI gather outside of Tree of Life-Or L’Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh, where 11 died and others were injured in a mass shooting during sabbath services October 27, 2018. sixsixtysix / Shutterstock.com.
[According to court documents, Robert Gregory Bowers, a 46-year-old white man, was charged the same day by both state and federal authorities for the murders and also for ethnic intimidation and obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death and bodily injury. Bowers had written on social media about HIAS, a Jewish refugee resettlement organization, which he saw as a threat, according to news reports.]
Squirrel Hill, in Pittsburgh’s East End, has been the center of the city’s Jewish life since the early 20th century.
