Pittsburgh synagogue massacre ‘deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US’ history

Toxic Atmosphere – Post Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre
The post-Pittsburgh synagogue massacre atmosphere is toxic, and I’m scared. I’m scared that we are now going to witness a growth in antisemitism in the USA as most of us have never seen in our lifetimes. One would expect that as a result of such a tragedy the opposite should occur, but it won’t. And that is what I’m scared about.

I will say it like it is, those American Jews who are blaming President Trump for the “growth of antisemitism” in America, are themselves at fault for the growth of antisemitism in America by pushing that narrative!

Some of them are now saying that President Trump is responsible for the Pittsburgh massacre because his policies are anti-immigrant, anti-free speech, anti-gay etc, all “Jewish values”. Guess what? Blaming President Trump is throwing fuel in the fire for more people on the right to hate Jews!

Forget the fact that President Trump is none of that and not all Jews agree with those progressive values. The danger is that by these American Jews pushing this false narrative they are pushing more people on the right to be like Robert Bowers, to hate Jews.

Some of the Jews on the left are even calling Republicans & Trump supporters “Nazi” supporters, or enabling nazis, because, as they say it, it is “President Trump who is responsible for the murder of the 11 people in the Pittsburgh synagogue”. What do you think this will do to some on the right who don’t know better? It will lead them to dislike or even hate Jews! They are getting lumped together with “nazis”, by some American Jews on the left, just for being a Republican or for supporting President Trump!

This is so sad to witness and so very dangerous because ultimately it is self-destructive. While they think they are standing up against antisemitism, in reality, they are actively helping it grow!

Antisemitism exists. It always has existed and it always will exist. Whether we want to understand it or not, it’s part of the DNA of the world that G-d created. It is not because of conservative policies or progressive policies, it is an irrational hatred of the Jew, regardless of the reason.

Sadly enough, historically, it also grew to mammoth proportions exactly when Jews “made it”, and became as equal as possible. The Spanish Inquisition took place when Jews were advisors to the King and Queen of Spain. The Nazi holocaust took place when Jews made it to the top positions in the courts, academia and culture in Germany, after centuries of discrimination. Yes, we got hurt by antisemitism even when we integrated into the host culture and finally “made it”.

Antisemitism on the left is growing by leaps and bounds, best showcased by University campuses where all people are allowed “safe spaces” except Jews who support Israel. And this despicable situation is tolerated by the Universities and accepted by the mainstream left, with no protest! This is antisemitism.

Then there are the waco antisemites on the right who wrongfully believe Jews run the world and are to blame for everything.

People on the right hate Jews because all Jews control the world, like the ultra-leftist George Soros. And people on the left hate Jews because we control all governments with our “all-powerful Israel lobby”.

Now, the reaction of some Jews on the left to the massacre are giving even more reason for those who disagree with their progressive values to hate Jews.

This does not look good at all, and it is downright scary.

I’m an optimistic guy, and I’m very optimistic about our future in Israel. But seeing the focus of this conversation on antisemitism in the US, after the Pittsburgh Synagogue massacre, scares me, a lot. Not because I’m scared of the current level of antisemitism on the right, but because the focus and talking points of the left will spur a growth of antisemitism on both left and right.

In the end, we Jews always all suffer together, left/right/religious/secular etc. We each have our right to our own opinions, and we will always have Jews of all kinds. Our enemies never ask what our political views are or how religious we are. They discriminate against us all, and kill us all, because we are Jews. Period.

I hope this trajectory in growth of antisemitism stops, but I’m afraid it will get much worse before it gets better

Anti-Semitism: A Messianic Response
By ONE FOR ISRAEL (Messianic Jews In Israel)
https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/anti-semitism-a-messianic-response/
“All these Jews need to die!” screamed the gunman as he opened fire in a synagogue. On Shabbat, 27th October 2018, a crazed Anti-Semite burst into in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. He murdered eleven Jewish people and shot six others who had come to worship, including some who had survived the Holocaust only to be mown down by the same evil hatred decades later. 

We pray for all the families and the community left devastated by such hatred, cruelty and wickedness, and remember the names of those who had their lives stolen from them:

Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal and his brother David Rosenthal, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger.

May their memories be a blessing.

Anti-Semitism, the oldest hatred?
Anti-Semitism has never been constrained by time or religion – it has continued throughout history at the hands of atheists, Christians, Muslims and pagans alike. Whether Jewish people have assimilated into the culture or kept themselves to themselves in their own communities, they have been hated and persecuted wherever they go, and whatever they do. Whether in exile or in their own land, in Babylon or in Egypt, in Christian Europe, Atheist Russia or the Muslim Middle East, whether they’re following God or in rebellion against him, the attacks do not stop.

British lawmaker, Jenny Tonge, a member of the House of Lords, blamed Israel. “Absolutely appalling and a criminal act”, she wrote on Facebook, “but does it ever occur to Bibi and the present Israeli government that it’s [sic] actions against Palestinians may be reigniting anti-Semitism?” She outrageously suggested that Israel’s policies were to blame for the mass murder of Jews in Pittsburgh – an absolutely appalling act of anti-Semitism on her own part. 

But Anti-Semitism goes back long before the modern State of Israel ever existed. It was not the “occupation” that was bothering Adolf Hitler… or the Spanish Inquisitors, or the violent pogroms and Crusades that destroyed Jewish lives throughout the centuries in Europe and Russia. We can be confident it was not the settlements or checkpoints that got Haman’s goat in the story of Esther, or put the Amalekites’ nose out of joint to the degree that they tried to kill off the entire people group just after the Exodus.

It is not that the State of Israel causes racism against the Jewish people, but rather, racism against the Jews that demonstrates the need for a Jewish state.

As long as there has been a people of God, chosen for His purposes, the attacks and annihilation attempts have been relentless. It is ludicrous to suggest that the State of Israel is to blame for violence perpetrated against the Jewish people.

The irrational prejudice against Jewish people is often called the “ancient hatred”. There seems to be no logical explanation that fits the fury spewed out from every corner of the earth, throughout all time, with no apparent common denominator. It is purely and simply because Jewish people are Jewish. Whether they are rich or poor, whether they look the same as those around them, dress the same, think the same – or not – nothing prevents the attacks from coming.

The true object of hatred: the God of Israel
What makes Jewish people Jewish? The God who called the nation into being for His own purposes. It was God who created the people of Israel. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and ordained that his twelve sons would become the twelve tribes of Israel. His people. They were a people chosen by God, led by God, instructed by God, and precious to God. And they are called by His name.

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” (Deuteronomy 7:6)

Why did God choose Israel? =>
Not only did they identify themselves with Him, but God identified himself with them. He is, and always will be, the God of Israel. He refers to himself in Scripture hundreds of times as the God of Israel. The God who delivered Israel from Egypt. One day, we learn from Jeremiah 16:14 and 23:11, we will know Him as the God who regathered Israel. Whichever way you look at it, God is inextricably linked to Israel, and always will be. This irks a lot of people. Some are bitter about the fact that God chose a particular nation at all, or the fact that Israel (like all of humanity) has always been so undeserving of God’s grace, or that God is the one in charge and gets to make such choices without consulting anyone. 

“Anti-Semitism stems from the inherently rebellious hearts of humans. As the people of God, the Jews are associated with God, and thus Jew hatred is sometimes subliminal but always due to an unregenerate heart.”

Christine Darg

Dr. Richard Bookers says in a similar vein that Jew hatred is God hatred because the Jews remind the world they are accountable to God for their lives and they don’t want to be reminded.

The enemy of our souls hates the Jewish people with a special hatred because God loves them, and because they play an important part in God’s redemptive plan for the world – past, present and future. And Satan doesn’t have to look far to find willing individuals who will cooperate and become agents in his quest to destroy and defame the people of Israel as much as possible. The evidence is sadly strewn throughout history – the murdered worshippers in Pittsburgh just the latest victims of this ongoing onslaught.

How can Gentiles stand against Anti-Semitism?
“You cannot love God”, warned Corrie Ten Boom, “without loving the Jewish people”. It is shocking that this even needs to be pointed out, yet Church history makes extremely uncomfortable reading when it comes to the treatment of the Jews. But what can Christians do to stand against Anti-Semitism today?

1. Pray
We cannot underestimate the impact of our prayers. Let’s pray for the bereaved, for the frightened Jewish communities facing Anti-Semitism in the US, in France, in the UK, and all over the world. We must also pray for their enemies. Pray for those trapped in webs of bitterness and lies. Pray for Christians who are blinded to the truth about God’s heart for his people. You can be sure that your prayers will be reaching the Father’s heart, and we know that if we pray in accordance with his will, he hears, and he will answer.

You could also send a letter to a synagogue near you to let you know that you are praying for them, standing with them, and that you care.

2. Publicly stand up for the truth and denounce lies
There are so many falsehoods defaming Israel and the Jewish people in circulation. It is simply not true that Israel is an Apartheid state, or that they are committing genocide. There are no Jewish plots in progress to take over the world, or even the Middle East. Israel will do everything it can to avoid killing civilians, especially children, and the lies that are perpetrated on these matters fuel the fires of anti-Semitic hatred. It’s important to investigate for yourself what is true and what is not, rather than believing one side or the other, but when you find solid facts, make them known.

Whether it manifests as Alt-Right racism or Far-Left hatred of Israel, Anti-Semitism is fueled by conspiracy stories. Behind them lies the peddler of falsehoods and the spreader of fear: the father of lies himself.

We can help combat Anti-Semitism by uncovering and proclaiming the truth.

3. Remind people that Jesus IS Jewish – present tense!
As Russell Moore put it so well in his piece in the Washington Post, “If you hate the Jews, you hate Jesus too”:

“I will often hear Christians say, “Remember that Jesus was Jewish.” That’s true enough, but the past tense makes it sound as though Jesus’ Jewishness were something he sloughed off at the resurrection. Jesus is alive now, enthroned in heaven. He is transfigured and glorified, yes, but he is still Jesus. This means he is still, and always will be, human. He is still, and always will be, the son of Mary. He is, and always will be, a Galilean. When Jesus appeared before Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus, the resurrected Christ introduced himself as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 22:8). Jesus is Jewish, present tense… He is of the tribe of Judah. He is of the House of David… As Christians, we are, all of us, adopted into a Jewish family, into an Israelite story.” 1

Too many Christians have misunderstood the New Testament and think that Jesus was against the Jewish people as a whole. But not only is Jesus Jewish, his entire family, all his disciples, and most of the early church were Jewish too. Remind Christian friends that the Bible teaches God is not done with Israel, and will never forsake the Jewish people (Romans 9-11).

4. Identify with the people of Israel
It is important to stand with the Jewish people especially in times like this – to identify with the people of Israel as they are under attack. During the Holocaust when the Nazis were making Jews wear a yellow star, the Danish king is said to have suggested to his finance minister, Vilhelm Buhl, “perhaps we should all wear it.”2  Such an act would completely negate the attempt to isolate and victimize the Jewish people. Similarly, when a brick came through the window of a Jewish family at Hanukkah time, the entire town of Billings, Montana, decided to put Jewish Hanukkiahs in their windows in solidarity.3 The attacks by the KKK soon stopped. It took courage for people to stand with their Jewish neighbors, knowing that they are making themselves a target too, but it’s a powerful thing to do. 

For Gentile believers in Yeshua, identification with Israel is not a mere gesture, but an expression of reality – of the deep truth that you are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. Ruth’s courageous love for Naomi’s people and their God did not go unnoticed, and neither will yours.

“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17)

Tree of Life Rabbi to CNN: Trump ‘Always Welcome’ at Our Synagogue, ‘He Is My President’
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https://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/10/29/tree-of-life-rabbi-shoots-down-cnns-attempt-to-blame-trump-for-attack-trump-always-welcome-to-our-synagogue/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=daily&utm_content=links&utm_campaign=20181029
29 Oct 20185,695
1:13
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers on Monday refused to blame anyone for the shooting that took 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue over the weekend.

CNN “New Day” host Alisyn Camerota asked the Tree of Life rabbi if he blamed anyone “beyond the gunman” for the attack.

Myers instead blamed hate.

“I don’t really foist blame upon any person,” Myers told Camerota. “Hate does not know religion, race, creed, political party. It’s not a political issue in any way, shape, or form. Hate does not know any of those things.”

Camerota then questioned, “What lights the match of hate?”

Myers replied, “I think you’re raising one of those great questions that people far smarter than I can answer.”

Later in the interview, Camerota pressed the rabbi and asked if he wanted President Donald Trump to come.
VIDEO 

“The president of the United States is always welcome,” said Myers. “I’m a citizen, he is my president. He is certainly welcome.”

Pittsburgh Rabbi Receives Hate Mail for Saying He’d Be Honored to Meet Trump
By Staff Writer 
October 30, 2018 | 9:25 AM EDT
https://saraacarter.com/pittsburgh-rabbi-receives-hate-mail-for-saying-hed-be-honored-to-meet-trump/
The rabbi who survived Saturday's horrific shooting told CNN he is receiving hate messages.

The rabbi who led prayer services at the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue in Pittsburgh the day it was attacked by a deranged gunman has revealed he has received hate mail for saying he would be “honored” to meet with President Trump.

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who survived Saturday’s brutal attack by hiding in a bathroom until SWAT rescued him, said Monday that it would be his “honor” to “meet a president of the United States” when asked by NBC’s Savannah Guthrie if he would like to meet with President Trump when he arrives in Pittsburgh.

Appearing on CNN Tuesday, Myers revealed he had received hate mail for his comments.

“When I first said that the president was welcome, I’ve received a lot of emails, too numerous to count, I’ve received many that are not happy with those words.Those emails also contain hate. It just continues in this vicious cycle. We need to be better than this. We can be better than this.”
CNN Politics

@CNNPolitics
 · 7h
 “I said to our elected leaders that ‘you’re our leaders, we turn to you … any words of hate, Americans listen to you,’” Rabbi Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue says.

“I turn to them to say tone down the hate. Speak words of love. Speak words of decency and of respect.”

CNN Politics

@CNNPolitics
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers says he has no plans at the moment to meet with President Trump when he arrives in Pittsburgh: "My attention will be with the family. I have a funeral and I must tend to their needs" pic.twitter.com/TcDpJzlq0m

11:33 AM - Oct 30, 2018
 
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President Trump will visit Pittsburgh Tuesday afternoon where he is expected to meet with local Jewish leaders. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday that President Trump wishes to unite the country. “The president cherishes the American Jewish community for everything it stands for and contributes to our country. He adores Jewish Americans as part of his own family,” she said.
The synagogue shooting suspect, Robert Bowers, appeared in court Monday where he received an overview of the 29 charges against him. Bowers is accused of killing 11 congregants.

In Pittsburgh, Hundreds Rise and Say Kaddish for the Jewish Doctor Who Always Stood for Others
Jerry Rabinowitz always stood during the Jewish prayer for mourning, saying he had no children who would one day stand for him, so he stood for others who had no one to honor their memory. His entire community stood for him Sunday
https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-hundreds-rise-and-say-kaddish-for-the-jewish-doctor-who-always-stood-for-others-1.6608796
Dina Kraft  Oct 29, 2018 11:27 PM
 1comments     Zen
 7041share on facebook   Tweet  send via email  reddit  stumbleupon
A particular custom of Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz was noted Sunday at a memorial service honoring him and the 10 other Jews murdered at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday.


DOJ Launches New Effort on Hate Crimes in the Wake of Pittsburgh Attack
By Jennie Taer 
October 29, 2018 | 4:45 PM EDT
https://saraacarter.com/doj-launches-new-effort-on-hate-crimes-in-the-wake-of-pittsburgh-attack/
The Department of Justice plans to increase funding, research, and technology to combat hate crimes in the United States

The Department of Justice announced an all hands on deck effort to address hate crimes in the United States by establishing clearer lines of communication between federal law enforcement agencies investigating these criminal acts.  The announcement comes in the wake of the shooting attack at the Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 dead and multiple people seriously injured.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein hosted a roundtable to discuss plans to increase funding, research, and technology. The DOJ hopes to improve communication and cooperation during hate crime investigations.
The US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania filed hate crime charges, along with 29 other federal charges against the perpetrator of Saturday’s attack. Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed the media on Saturday calling for a hate crime investigation into the attack, saying, “These alleged crimes are reprehensible and utterly repugnant to the values of this nation.”
“Accordingly, the Department of Justice will file hate crimes and other criminal charges against the defendant, including charges that could lead to the death penalty,” Sessions added.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders broke into tears as she delivered her remarks at Monday’s White House Press Conference saying, “This atrocity was a chilling act of mass murder, it was an act of hatred, and above all, it was an act of evil.”
The usually peaceful Saturday morning service at the Tree of Life congregation in Pittsburgh will never be the same. Observant Jewish congregants were joined in prayer. Their peace was broken as a shooter entered the service, shot and killed eleven people. The Pittsburgh Jewish community lost a couple, a grandfather, a brother, a mother, a brother, a sister, a friend, leaving an eternal hole for those of the synagogue and the nation, officials stated throughout the day.

Holocaust Survivor Lives Through Synagogue Shooting — He Was Four Minutes Late
Oct 29, 2018 02:47 pm
Holocaust Survivor Lives Through Synagogue Shooting — He Was Four Minutes Late
(CBN News) He’s faced death twice. Both times, he’s survived. Judah Samet, 80, narrowly escaped death more than 70 years ago in Germany’s Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, according to The Washington Post. He faced the same ghastly reality Saturday morning. After World War II, Samet fled to the U.S., leaving
behind his native Hungary. He almost died over the weekend, during a deadly shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, where he’s worshipped for 54 years, when the suspected gunman, who “wanted all Jews to die,” killed 11 people. Saturday’s massacre marked the deadliest attack against Jewish people in U.S. history. 
READ MORE https://www.faithwire.com/2018/10/29/holocaust-survivor-lives-through-synagogue-shooting-he-was-four-minutes-late/

Holocaust Survivor Lives Through Synagogue Shooting — He Was Four Minutes Late
Image credit: The Beaver County Times/YouTube
By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

October 29, 2018
He’s faced death twice. Both times, he’s survived.

Judah Samet, 80, narrowly escaped death more than 70 years ago in Germany’s Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, according to The Washington Post. He faced the same ghastly reality Saturday morning.

‘We Will Rebuild’: Faith Community Unites in Mourning After Horrific Mass Shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue

After World War II, Samet fled to the U.S., leaving behind his native Hungary. He almost died over the weekend, during a deadly shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, where he’s worshipped for 54 years, when the suspected gunman, who “wanted all Jews to die,” killed 11 people.

Saturday’s massacre marked the deadliest attack against Jewish people in U.S. history.

Garrett Tenney

@Garrett_FoxNews
 Touching scene outstanding Tree of Life Synagogue as volunteers help carry 11 large Stars of David w/ names of those who were killed in Saturday’s attack to a growing vigil in front of the synagogue. #FoxNews #PittsburghSynagogue #PittsburghStrong

8:59 PM - Oct 28, 2018
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“I survived the second time yesterday,” Samet said, noting the violence against Jewish people “never stops.”

The Holocaust survivor told the Post he never used to talk about his experiences, and the certain death he escaped. Then several years ago, “I looked around and noticed that most survivors were in their 90s, and that pretty soon, there wouldn’t be anyone else in Pittsburgh to talk.”

Samet was prepared, like he is every Saturday morning, to go to the synagogue. Services start at 9:45 a.m., but Samet was running late.

“I was talking to my housekeeper here,” he recalled. “She comes once a week. I was four minutes late. Instead of 9:45, I got there about 9:49, maybe 9:50.”
It only takes Samet a few minutes to drive to his synagogue.

Holocaust survivor talks about speaks about his experiences
WATCH  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2k24JsHp94&ab_channel=TheBeaverCountyTimes

Once he arrived, Samet pulled into a handicap parking spot, when someone knocked on his window, telling him to back out slowly and leave the facility. Samet said the man, dressed in black, told him there was an active shooter in the synagogue.

“I wanted to see who was shooting,” he said, noting the gunman had emerged from the synagogue and was in the midst of a “shootout with police, then he went back and finished the job in my synagogue.”

It was at that point Samet realized he was “in the line of fire.”

Once he got home, Samet turned on Fox News, where he saw a phone number flash across the screen. He picked up his phone and called investigators, giving them a description of the suspected attacker.

Amber Athey

@amber_athey
 .@CNN asks Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers if @realDonaldTrump is welcome at his synagogue after Saturday's shooting. 

Myers: "The President of the United States is always welcome. I am a citizen, he is my president. He is always welcome.”https://dailycaller.com/2018/10/29/cnn-rabbi-blame-trump-pittsburgh-shooting/ …

2:14 PM - Oct 29, 2018
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Samet ultimately landed in Pittsburgh because of his late wife, who was a teacher. Now, in addition to being the place where he found love, it’s also the place where he escaped death.

“It’s almost like, ‘Here we go again,’” Samet said. “We’re now more than 70 years away from it, and here it happens all over again.”

As for President Donald Trump, Samet doesn’t see an issue with his nationalistic ideology. Samet, a proud American, said the U.S. “comes first.”

“Israel is important,” he clarified, “but since I’ve been living here all this time, I’m very patriotic.”

Jeff Sessions puts death penalty on the table for Pittsburgh synagogue gunman
October 28, 2018 by Jerry McCormick
https://www.patriotnewsalerts.com/sessions-death-penalty-table/?utm_medium=ci&utm_source=push&utm_campaign=pna
Image via mark reinstein / Shutterstock.com
Americans across the country watched on Saturday as the aftermath of a terrible massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue unfolded — and now, they want justice.

And Americans might soon get what many have been calling for. According to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who expressed his own outrage at the atrocity on Saturday, the gunman could be sentenced to death in this case because it qualifies as a hate crime.

The Massacre
For the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, it was just another Saturday of worship at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

Suddenly, their lives were changed forever when a man opened fire inside the synagogue.

According to reports, the assault lasted for roughly 20 minutes.

When all was said and done, at least 11 people had been murdered and many more injured, including four local law enforcement officers responding to the call.

The president was also quite upset over the incident.

“Every American has the right to attend their house of worship in safety,” Trump said.

The president went on to say that the gunman, Robert Bowers, “should pay the ultimate price. I have felt that way for a long time.”

Hate Crime
President Trump is right: there is no room in this country for someone like Bowers.

As he entered the synagogue, he yelled: “All Jews must die.”

Something must be done to deter this type of crime from ever happening again.

Liberals and Democrats are already working the gun angle, but this crime was about hate, pure and simple.

Should Bowers Get the Death Penalty?
Yes
No
Next
No gun laws were ever going to stop this coward from killing people.

Hate and evil always find a way to carry out their mission.

Pittsburgh synagogue massacre ‘deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US’ history
Oct 28, 2018 09:32 pm
Pittsburgh synagogue massacre ‘deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US’ history
(Yahoo News) A gunman shouting “all Jews must die” burst into a Pittsburgh synagogue during a circumcision ceremony on Saturday, shooting dead 11 people. Robert Bowers, 46, wielding an arsenal that included a semi-automatic rifle and three handguns, also left six others wounded, including four police officers, during the 20-minute attack. The shooting happened at the Tree of Life Congregation in a leafy suburb in

the heart of its Jewish community in Pennsylvania. About 100 people were in the synagogue at the time. It was not known if the baby being circumcised, during a ceremony known as a bris, was harmed. Bowers, who was in fair condition at a hospital after being shot several times by police, was charged late on Saturday with 29 federal counts, including hate crimes and weapons offenses. 
READ MORE https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-multiple-casualties-apos-shooting-150630876.html



https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-multiple-casualties-apos-shooting-150630876.html
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting: Gunman kills 11 people in 'deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US'
The Telegraph
Nick Allen
,The Telegraph•October 28, 2018
A driving licence picture of Robert Bowers - AFP
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Gunman kills 11 at Pittsburgh synagogue
He yelled "All Jews must die"
Suspect, named Robert Bowers, charged with hate crimes
Donald Trump condemns 'evil anti-Semitic attack'
Shooting the 'deadliest anti-Semitic attack in recent US history'
A gunman shouting "all Jews must die" burst into a Pittsburgh synagogue during a circumcision ceremony on Saturday, shooting dead 11 people.

Robert Bowers, 46, wielding an arsenal that included a semi-automatic rifle and three handguns, also left six others wounded, including four police officers, during the 20 minute attack.

The shooting happened at the Tree of Life Congregation in a leafy suburb in the heart of its Jewish community in Pennsylvania.

About 100 people were in the synagogue at the time. It was not known if the baby being circumcised, during a ceremony known as a bris, was harmed.

Bowers, who was in fair condition at a hospital after being shot several times by police, was charged late on Saturday with 29 federal counts, including hate crimes and weapons offences.

Robert Bowers - Credit: AFP
A driving licence picture of Robert Bowers Credit: AFP
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The suspect, who had no apparent criminal record, had left a trail of vile white supremacist comments and anti-Semitic abuse on social media, including sharing posts denying the Holocaust.

An hour before the attack he wrote on the Gab social media forum that Jewish "invaders" were "killing our people".

He wrote: "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”

Police officers describing the scene over a scanner said the gunman gave himself up after being injured. “All these Jews have to die,” he said again as he crawled towards them.

synagogue
The Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Pittsburgh
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President Donald Trump was quick to insist that tougher gun laws would have made little difference but the latest attack will also fuel fears that religious and race hate is on the rise during a fraught period of divisive politics.

Mr Trump said he would travel to Pittsburgh in the wake of the shooting.

"This evil anti-Semitic attack is an assault on all of us," Mr Trump told supporters at an election rally in Illinois where he began by addressing the attack at length - drawing loud cheers as he vowed to fully enforce the death penalty for such crimes.

"We must stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters to defeat anti-Semitism and vanquish the forces of hate."


Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
 · Oct 27, 2018
 All of America is in mourning over the mass murder of Jewish Americans at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We pray for those who perished and their loved ones, and our hearts go out to the brave police officers who sustained serious injuries...


Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
...This evil Anti-Semitic attack is an assault on humanity. It will take all of us working together to extract the poison of Anti-Semitism from our world. We must unite to conquer hate.

9:41 PM - Oct 27, 2018
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His daughter Ivanka, a convert to Judaism, declared: "America is stronger than the acts of a depraved bigot and anti-Semite."

Stephen Weiss, who was in a service at the synagogue at the time, described how members of the congregation fled and hid in the basement.

“It sounded like a loud crash in the hallway,” he said, describing rapid gunfire that sounded like an automatic weapon.

Mr Weiss told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that when he got to the basement he found other members of the congregation also hiding there.

Residents talk to the media near the site of a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue - Credit: Getty
Residents talk to the media near the site of a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue Credit: Getty
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Officers said the gunman was armed with an AR-15 rifle and a Glock handgun.

Wendell Hissrich, the public safety director for Pittsburgh, said detectives were sifting the site for evidence.

“It’s a very horrific crime scene. It’s one of the worst I’ve seen – and I’ve been on plane crashes,” he told a news conference.

A user with the name Bowers was active on Gab, a social media platform popular with free speech advocates and white supremacists.

The user shared memes spread by Holocaust deniers, questioning the Jewish death toll in Nazi Germany, and criticised Mr Trump for failing to tackle an “infestation” of Jews. Gab deactivated the account soon after the shooting.

The cover photo for his account featured a neo-Nazi symbol, and his recent posts included a photo of a fiery oven like those used in Nazi concentration camps used to cremate Jews during World War II.

The tree-lined residential neighbourhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, is the hub of the city’s Jewish community.

Its imposing concrete facade is punctuated by rows of swirling, modern stained-glass windows illustrating the story of creation, the acceptance of God's law, the “life cycle” and “how human-beings should care for the earth and one another,” according to its website.

Three Jewish congregations meet there and all three were holding services on Saturday morning between 9:45am and noon, with about 100 people in the building.

A class usually held on the third floor had been cancelled, the synagogue said.

Michael Eisenberg, former president of the synagogue, told KDKA that police were normally only present at the synagogue for security on high holidays.

"On a day like today, the door is open, it’s a religious service, you can walk in and out," he said, adding that there had been no threats reported.

The attack comes after months of warnings by Jewish groups that anti-Semitic attacks were on the increase at a time of heightened racial and religious intolerance.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported earlier this year that anti-Semitic incidents surged more than 50% in 2017, to almost 2000 cases, the biggest increase since they began collecting data.

Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the ADL, said: “We are devastated. Jews targeted on Shabbat morning at synagogue, a holy place of worship, is unconscionable. Our hearts break for the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community."

The ADL said it believes the Pittsburgh shooting to be the deadliest such attack in US history.

Mr Trump said earlier he was monitoring events as the unfolded.

He later told reporters that the problem was not gun laws but that the outcome would have been different if the synagogue had armed guards. “They didn't have any protection,” he said as he left Washington for a campaign event.

Jewish sites have been targets of several shooting in recent years

A neo-Nazi gunman shot dead three people at a Jewish Community Centre and a retirement community in Kansas City in 2014.

SWAT team - Credit: Getty
A SWAT team leaving the scene Credit: Getty
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A police officer was killed at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC in 2009.

In 1994, a white supremacist fired 10 shots into the Temple Beth Israel in Eugene, Oregon, although no one was hurt.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said on Saturday he was “heartbroken”.

“The entire people of Israel grieve with the families of the dead. We stand together with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, we stand together with the American people in the face of this horrendous anti-Semitic brutality and we all pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded,” he said.

People hold candles outside the Tree of Life Synagogue after a shooting there left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood of Pittsburgh  - Credit: AFP
People hold candles outside the Tree of Life Synagogue after a shooting there left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood of Pittsburgh  Credit: AFP
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Thousands of people, some holding candles, gathered for a vigil in the Squirrel Hill neighbourhood on Saturday night in honour of the victims, whose names were not immediately released.

A chant of "vote, vote, vote" broke out during the emotional gathering.

Some attendees blamed the shooting on the nation's political climate, and said they took little solace in the planned visit by Trump.

10:35PM

Donald Trump calls shooting 'pure evil'
Mr Trump condemning the synagogue shooting, saying "there must be no tolerance for anti-Semitism in America."

He was speaking at a Future Farmers of America convention in Indianapolis.

Mr Trump called the attack a "wicked act of mass murder" that "is pure evil, hard to believe and frankly something that is unimaginable."

President Donald Trump embraces Rabbi Benjamin Sendrow at the 91st annual Future Farmers of America Convention in Indianapolis - Credit: AP
President Donald Trump embraces Rabbi Benjamin Sendrow at the 91st annual Future Farmers of America Convention in Indianapolis Credit: AP
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He says the nation and the word are "shocked and stunned" by grief and is calling on the country to come together.

Mr Trump has at times been accused by critics of failing to adequately condemn hate, such as when he blamed "both sides" for the violence at a Charlottesville white supremacist rally.

He says that anti-Semitism "must be confronted anywhere and everywhere it appears"

9:22PM

Death toll rise to 11
A city official says 11 people were killed, and six injured.

FBI agent Bob Jones says it is believed the gunman was acting alone, and he was not previously known to police.

8:23PM

Gunman had history of anti-Semitic social media posts
An archive of Bower's posts since he joined the Gab social media site in January appeared to show an angry, anti-Semitic man who shared messages such as: "Daily Reminder: Diversity means chasing down the last white person."

About a month ago he posted pictures showing what appeared to the results of his target practice at a shooting range, and a collection of three handguns that he called his "glock family."

Bowers, who is a registered voter with "no affiliation" in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, took aim in one post at US President Donald Trump, accusing him of being a "globalist" who did nothing to stop the "infestation" of the United States by Jews.

"For the record, I did not vote for him nor have I owned, worn or even touched a MAGA hat," he wrote. 

7:41PM

Donald Trump says a 'lot of people' were killed
Mr Trump says "a lot of people" were killed in the shooting and it "looks definitely like it's an anti-Semitic crime."

Mr Trump, speaking at an  airport in Indianapolis, saidthat what "happened today is a horrible, horrible thing."

He said the FBI is now involved and there were "a lot of people killed" and "a lot of people very badly wounded."

He also says the crime scene is one of the worst many professionals have seen.

7:37PM

Gunman opened fire during a baby naming ceremony
People had gathered for the ceremony. It is not known if the gunman knew it was taking place. It was also not clear if the baby was harmed.

5:55PM

Donald Trump calls for shooter to face death penalty
Mr Trump called for the death penalty.

He said: "I think one thing we should do is we would stiffen up our laws with guns with the death penalty.

"When people do this they should get the death penalty."


Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
 Events in Pittsburgh are far more devastating than originally thought. Spoke with Mayor and Governor to inform them that the Federal Government has been, and will be, with them all the way. I will speak to the media shortly and make further statement at Future Farmers of America.

4:26 PM - Oct 27, 2018
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5:47PM

Donald Trump says it's certainly an option for synagogues and churches to have armed guards
The president has been speaking about the shooting while he is at Andrews Air Force Base.

He said it was certainly an option for synagogues, and churches, to have armed guards

Mr Trump called the shooting "devastating".

He added: "It's a 'terrible thing what's going on with hate in our country."

5:35PM

Around 100 people were in the synagogue
Michael Eisenberg, former President of the Tree of Life, told KDKA there would have been about 100 people in the building at the time of the shooting.

He said: "At 9:45 there were three simultaneous congregations’ services that were being held.

"In the main part of the building, The Tree of Life has a service that has about 40 people in it.

"Just below that there is a basement area where New Life congregation would have been having their Shabbat service. There would have been 30-40 people.

"Just adjacent to Tree of Light’s service area, a congregation was in the rabbi study room and they would have had approximately 15 people in there."

5:02PM

Survivor tells how congregation hid in basement
Stephen Weiss, who was in a service at the synagogue at the time, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "It sounded like a loud crash in the hallway."

He described rapid gunfire that sounded like an automatic weapon.

Mr Weiss said he ran to the basement and found other members of the congregation also hiding there.

He said services are held between 9.45am and noon.

4:44PM

Police at the scene
 

Lori Houy

@WPXI_Lori
 #BreakingNews Reports of an active shooter in a synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Huge police presence

2:33 PM - Oct 27, 2018 · Pittsburgh, PA
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4:43PM

Synagogue is at heart of Pittsburgh's Jewish community
The shooting happened int he  tree-lined residential neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, about 10 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh.

The area is the hub of Pittsburgh's Jewish community.

4:41PM

Three police officers shot
A police official has confirmed three officers were shot.

The official also confirmed that the suspect is in custody.

4:25PM

Local media reporting suspect is injured and in custody
KDKA, the local TV network, says police have the suspect. Police have not confirmed


Ross Guidotti

@RossGuidotti
 Suspect injured but in custody. Officer hit in 3rd floor has controlled bleeding arm injury. Will be ok.

3:15 PM - Oct 27, 2018
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Ross Guidotti

@RossGuidotti
 Suspect surrenders with pistol in his waist band and one strapped to his ankle. Swat operators grabbed Weapons removed and made safe

3:18 PM - Oct 27, 2018
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4:23PM

SWAT teams at the scene
SWAT teams are at the synagogue

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

The Hill

@thehill
 #BREAKING: At least 7 people killed by active shooter at Pittsburgh synagogue http://hill.cm/tGNYLSD 

3:16 PM - Oct 27, 2018
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4:18PM

Donald Trump says he is watching events unfold
The president said on Twitter: Watching the events unfolding in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump
 Watching the events unfolding in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement on the scene. People in Squirrel Hill area should remain sheltered. Looks like multiple fatalities. Beware of active shooter. God Bless All!

3:08 PM - Oct 27, 2018
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"Law enforcement on the scene. People in Squirrel Hill area should remain sheltered. Looks like multiple fatalities. Beware of active shooter. God Bless All!"

4:10PM

Police tell residents to stay inside
The synagogue is at the junction of Wilkins and Shady Avenues in Pittsburgh.

Local residents have been told by police to stay in their homes.

4:09PM

Local reporter says at least seven dead
KDKA’s Andy Sheehan reports that at least seven people have been confirmed dead. Police have not confirmed that.

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Sandy
Sandy2 days ago
My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. Sincere thanks to the first responders, especially those who were injured. And now I'll wait for the facts and leave the wild speculation to others.

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Jhan
Jhanyesterday
Is this going to be considered tragedy or terrorism.

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Patrick
Patrick23 hours ago
The presence of armed guards works out okay in Israel.