The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting was an
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
terrorist attack
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
which took place at the
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation () is a Conservative Jewish synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The congregation moved into its present synagogue building in 1953. It merged with Congregation Or L'Si ...
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
in the
Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated a ...
neighborhood of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States. The congregation, along with New Light Congregation and Congregation Dor Hadash, which also worshipped in the building, was attacked during
Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
morning services on October 27, 2018. The perpetrator killed eleven people and wounded six, including several
Holocaust survivors
Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Axis powers, its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no unive ...
. It was the deadliest attack ever on the
Jewish community in the United States.
A lone suspect, identified as 46-year-old Robert Gregory Bowers,
was shot multiple times by police and arrested at the scene.
Bowers had earlier posted antisemitic comments against
HIAS
HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was originally established in 1881 to aid Jewish refugees. In 1975, the State Departme ...
(formerly, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) on the online
alt-tech
Alt-tech are social media platforms and Internet service providers that have become popular among the alt-right, far-right, and others who espouse extreme or fringe opinions, in the belief that these alternatives moderate content less stringe ...
social network
Gab.
Dor Hadash
had participated in HIAS's National Refugee Shabbat the previous week. Referring to
Central American migrant caravans
Central American migrant caravans, also known as the ("Migrant's Way of the Cross"), are migrant caravans that travel from Central America to the Mexico–United States border. The largest and best known of these were organized by (A People Wi ...
and
immigrants
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
, Bowers posted a message on Gab in which he wrote that "HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in."
He has been charged with 63 federal crimes, some of which are
capital crimes
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
.
He has pleaded not guilty.
[Torsten Ove]
Robert Bowers, accused in Tree of Life synagogue shootings, arraigned
, ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'' (February 11, 2019). He separately faces 36 charges in Pennsylvania state court.
Background
Tree of Life – ''Or L'Simcha'' Congregation is a
Conservative Jewish
Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generat ...
synagogue. The synagogue describes itself as a "traditional, progressive, and
egalitarian
Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...
congregation".
It is located in the
Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated a ...
neighborhood of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, east of
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
and about east of
downtown Pittsburgh
Downtown Pittsburgh, colloquially referred to as the Golden Triangle, and officially the Central Business District, is the urban downtown center of Pittsburgh. It is located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River whose ...
.
The Squirrel Hill neighborhood is one of the largest predominantly Jewish neighborhoods in the United States and has historically been the center of Pittsburgh's Jewish community. About 26 percent of the city's Jewish population live in the area.
Originally founded as an
Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...
congregation in 1864 in downtown Pittsburgh, by an early group of Jewish immigrants, Tree of Life merged in 2010 with the recently founded Congregation Or L'Simcha. The modern synagogue building, located at the intersection of Wilkins and Shady avenues in Squirrel Hill, was built in 1953. The congregation also rents space to Dor Hadash, a
Reconstructionist congregation; and New Light, another Conservative congregation.
The synagogue's main
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
has a capacity of 1,250 people.
Squirrel Hill has a low crime rate and is not generally regarded as racially tense. However, local
rabbinic student Neal Rosenblum was murdered in the neighborhood in 1986 in an
antisemitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
hate crime
A hate crime (also known as a bias-motivated crime or bias crime) is a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or racial demograph ...
.
This 2018 mass shooting took place soon after
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
and the
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
independently reported a spike in antisemitic activity online, especially on the popular social networking platforms
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.
In addition, other antisemitic acts had been committed elsewhere.
[
]
The immediate rise in the months of August to October 2018 was attributed to rising tensions associated with advertising for the
2018 US midterm elections.
A similar rise in online attacks had occurred during the
2016 US election,
[ with the midterms being a "rallying point" for far-right extremists to organize efforts to spread antisemitism online among the populace.][ In 2017 there was a 57% rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States,][ in context of rising hate crimes against other groups, including Muslims and ]African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, as reported by the FBI.[ For instance, hundreds of Jewish gravestones were vandalized in Pennsylvania and Missouri,][ and antisemitic incidents on university campuses doubled in number.][
In August 2017, the widely publicized ]Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
featured Nazi symbols
The 20th-century German Nazi Party made extensive use of graphic symbols, especially the ''Swastika#Use in Nazism, swastika'', notably in the form of the swastika flag, which became the co-national flag of Nazi Germany in 1933, and the sole na ...
, salutes
A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sco ...
, and the slogan " Blood and Soil",[ amid explicit racist and antisemitic rhetoric. Considerable antisemitic material was being spread online via posted ]conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
*
*
* The term has a nega ...
about wealthy Jewish individuals, including billionaire George Soros
George Soros ( name written in eastern order), (born György Schwartz, August 12, 1930) is a Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist. , he had a net worth of US$8.6 billion, Note that this site is updated daily. having donated mo ...
. Columbia University's Jon Albright said that these represented the "worst sample" of all the hate speech he had seen on Instagram.[
]
Shooting
At 9:45 AM three religious services were underway in the Tree of Life synagogue, which housed three distinct congregations. Tree of Life and New Light had both begun independent Shabbat morning service in the Pervin Chapel[ and basement, respectively. The Dor Hadash congregants were gathered near the front of the building, prior to their 10:00 a.m. ]Torah study
Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's Sifrei kodesh, religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the ''mi ...
session.
At 9:50 AM EDT (13:50 UTC), a man, described as a "bearded heavy-set white male", entered the building, opened fire and was "shooting for about 20 minutes." He was armed with a Colt AR-15
The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. It is a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle sold for the civilian and law enforcement markets in the United States. Colt's Manufacturing Company currently ...
semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt-act ...
(cited by authorities as an "assault rifle")[ - NOTE: please see extensive discussion about "assault rifles" at => Talk:Pittsburgh synagogue shooting#"AR-15 rifle" considered an "Assault Weapon" - or Not?] and three Glock
Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...
.357 SIG
The .357 SIG (designated as the 357 Sig by the SAAMI and 357 SIG by the C.I.P. or 9×22mm in unofficial metric notation) is a bottlenecked rimless centerfire handgun cartridge developed by the Swiss- German firearms manufacturer SIG Sauer, ...
semi-automatic pistols
A semi-automatic pistol is a type of repeating single- chamber handgun ( pistol) that automatically cycles its action to insert the subsequent cartridge into the chamber (self-loading), but requires manual actuation of the trigger to actu ...
, all four of which he fired, according to authorities. There would typically be around 75 people in the building on a Saturday morning.
The first two persons shot were two brothers, Cecil and David Rosenthal, at the main entrance, after which the shooter headed downstairs to New Light. Some hearing the shots did not initially recognize them for what they were: Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, located upstairs, thought a coat rack had fallen and clattered.
By 9:54 AM, police began receiving multiple calls from people barricaded in the building and reporting the attack.
At 9:55 AM, Melvin Wax, the leader of New Light's services, hid in a pitch-black closet in the basement. He opened the door of the closet, and the shooter immediately shot him. The latter did not notice the other three congregants who remained in the closet. Two other members of New Light (Gottfried and Stein) were fatally shot and killed in the basement kitchen.[ He also killed Jerry Rabinowitz of Dor Hadash, a physician who had gone toward the sound of gunshots to see if anyone had been hurt.][
At 9:57 AM,][ the shooter left the basement and headed upstairs to the larger Tree of Life service. About 13 worshippers had gathered for the Shabbat service in an upstairs chapel. Myers helped four of them evacuate the chapel through a side door, but eight of the worshippers remained behind. The shooter killed seven and wounded one.][
Police sources said he shouted at some point during the attack, "All Jews must die!"]
At 9:59 AM, police arrived at the synagogue. The shooter fired on police from the entryway, while apparently departing, and police returned fire, forcing him to retreat into the building.
A half hour later, tactical teams entered the building and the shooter also fired upon them. When officers wounded him in return fire, he retreated to the third floor and hid in a room. He had wounded two officers and two SWAT
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
members, one of them critically.[
At 11:08 AM, the gunman crawled out of the room and surrendered, having been shot multiple times.] As he received medical care in police custody, he allegedly told a SWAT officer that he wanted all Jews to die, and that Jews were committing genocide against his people; this material was included in a criminal complaint filed in Allegheny County.
Victims
Eleven people were killed, including three on the ground level and four in the synagogue's basement. Among the dead were two brothers and a married couple. At least six others were injured, including four Pittsburgh Police
The Pittsburgh Police (PBP), officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania. The modern force of salaried and professional officers was founded in ...
officers. Five people were transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, four requiring surgery, while one was treated and released by the afternoon. Another victim was transported to UPMC Mercy
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Duquesne University, and a few blocks from the PPG Paints Aren ...
, while the accused was taken to Allegheny General Hospital Allegheny General Hospital is a large urban hospital located at 320 East North Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the larger Allegheny Health Network.
History
Allegheny General Hospital, also known locally by the acr ...
.
Those killed were:
* Joyce Fienberg, 75
* Richard Gottfried, 65
* Rose Mallinger, 97
* Jerry Rabinowitz, 66
* Cecil, 59 & David Rosenthal, 54
* Bernice, 84 & Sylvan Simon, 86
* Daniel Stein, 71
* Melvin Wax, 88
* Irving Younger, 69
Seven others who were injured in the incident included three other congregants and four Pittsburgh officers (two patrol officers and two SWAT officers; three by ricocheted gunfire and another by glass fragments).[
]
Accused
Robert Gregory Bowers (born September 4, 1972), a resident of Baldwin, Pennsylvania
Baldwin is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States (not to be confused with adjacent Baldwin Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Baldwin Township). Part of the Greater Pittsburgh, Greater Pittsburgh ...
, was arrested as the shooter. Bowers' parents divorced when he was about one year old.[ His father, Randall Bowers, died by suicide in October 1979 at the age of 26 while he was awaiting trial on a rape charge,][ when Bowers was 7 years old.] Bowers' mother married a Florida man when Bowers was a toddler, and he lived with them in Florida until they separated a year after their marriage.[
Upon their return to Pennsylvania, Robert and his mother lived with his mother's parents in ]Whitehall
Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...
. His maternal grandparents took responsibility for raising him, because his mother suffered from health problems. Bowers attended Baldwin High School in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District from August 1986 to November 1989. He dropped out of high school before graduation and worked as a trucker. Neighbors described Bowers as "a ghost" and they also said that he rarely interacted with others.[
According to accounts which were given by Bowers' coworkers from 20 years ago, and analysis of his recent ]social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
posts, his conservatism
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
became radicalized as white nationalism
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...
; at one point Bowers was fascinated by the right-wing radio host Jim Quinn
Jim Quinn (born February 26, 1943) is an American conservative radio talk show host based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, currently hosting ''Quinn in the Morning'' on WYSL in Avon, New York, and WAVL in Apollo, Pennsylvania. Until its cancella ...
. At a later time he became a follower of "aggressive online provocateurs of the right wing's fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
." He was deeply involved in posting comments on social media websites such as Gab and he also promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories
Antisemitic tropes, canards, or myths are " sensational reports, misrepresentations, or fabrications" that are defamatory towards Judaism as a religion or defamatory towards Jews as an ethnic or religious group. Since the Middle Ages, such repo ...
on them.
Gab has been described as "extremist friendly" to neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
s, white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other Race (human classification), races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any Power (social and polit ...
s, and the alt-right
The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...
.[ Bowers registered his Gab profile in January 2018 under the handle "onedingo"; he described his account by the following: "Jews are the children of ]Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
(). The Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
ascome in the flesh." The cover picture was a photo with the number 1488, which is used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists to evoke David Lane's "Fourteen Words
Fourteen Words (also abbreviated 14 or 14/ 88) is a reference to two slogans originated by David Eden Lane, one of nine founding members of the defunct white separatist insurrectionary terrorist organization The Order. The slogans have served ...
" and the Nazi slogan ''Heil Hitler
The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. T ...
''. Bowers published posts that supported the white genocide conspiracy theory
The white genocide, white extinction, or white replacement conspiracy theory is a white supremacist conspiracy theory which states that there is a deliberate plot, often blamed on Jews, to promote miscegenation, interracial marriage, mass non- ...
, such as one that said, "Daily Reminder: Diversity means chasing down the last white person". Bowers said that supporters of the QAnon
QAnon ( , ) is an American political conspiracy theory and political movement. It originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". ...
conspiracy theory were "deluded" and being tricked.
Bowers was very active on social media, posting his own similar anti-Semitic and racist rants. He often re-posted content by other similarly minded users, such as Patrick Little, who expressed antisemitic, neo-Nazi, white nationalist/supremacist thoughts and denied the Holocaust
Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements:
...
. In addition, he reposted comments in support of the Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
-based alt-right
The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...
fight club Rise Above Movement
The Rise Above Movement (RAM) is a militant alt-right Southern California-based street-fighting group variously described as "a loose collective of violent neo-Nazis and fascists", white nationalist, white supremacist, and far-right.Jarvie, Je ...
(RAM), whose members had attended the August 2017 Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...
and were later arrested by the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
and convicted at trial for violence against counter demonstrators. Bowers also posted comments in support of the "Western chauvinist" Proud Boys
The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.Far-right:
*
*
Fascist:
*
*
*
*
*
Men only:
*
*
*
Political violence:
*
*
* It has ...
(led by Gavin McInnes
Gavin Miles McInnes (; born 17 July 1970) is a Canadian writer, podcaster and far-right commentator and founder of the Proud Boys. He is the host of '' Get Off My Lawn with Gavin McInnes'', on the subscription-based streaming media platform C ...
), who were arrested the same month for engaging in a fight with Antifa outside the Metropolitan Republican Club in New York City.
His posts included criticism of US President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
for being a " globalist, not a nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
" and for supposedly being surrounded by and controlled by Jews. Bowers also denounced African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
with racial slurs
The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or oth ...
and images which are related to lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...
s, and he also denounced white women who have relationships with black men. He used his online accounts to post conspiracy theories regarding philanthropist George Soros. ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' said that security sources had alleged that Bowers had links to the far-right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
and neo-Nazis in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
A month before the attack, Bowers posted photos of results of his target practice. He also posted a photo of his three handguns, calling them his "glock family". In the post, he identified the .357 SIG
The .357 SIG (designated as the 357 Sig by the SAAMI and 357 SIG by the C.I.P. or 9×22mm in unofficial metric notation) is a bottlenecked rimless centerfire handgun cartridge developed by the Swiss- German firearms manufacturer SIG Sauer, ...
handguns as Glock 31, Glock 32, and Glock 33.
Bowers coordinated with Brad Griffin (aka Hunter Wallace) of ''Occidental Dissent'', an alt-right associated blogger and member of League of the South
The League of the South (LS) is an American white nationalist, neo-Confederate, white supremacist organization, headquartered in Killen, Alabama, which states that its ultimate goal is "a free and independent Southern republic".
The group def ...
on doxxing an unidentified left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
blogger. Bowers wrote "that address is not the most current for him. I can get you the most recent outside of gab". League of the South was one of the organizations that participated in the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville.
In the weeks before the shooting, Bowers made antisemitic posts directed at the HIAS
HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) is a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was originally established in 1881 to aid Jewish refugees. In 1975, the State Departme ...
-sponsored[ National Refugee Shabbat] of October 19–20, in which Dor Hadash[ participated. He claimed Jews were aiding members of Central American caravans moving toward the United States border and referred to those migrants as "invaders".][ Shortly before the attack, he posted on Gab that "HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in."] According to the Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white su ...
, "the mention of 'optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...
' references a disagreement that has raged within the white nationalist
White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...
movement since the Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, ...
in 2017 about how best to get their message across to the general public".
After the shooting, Gab suspended Bowers' profile and pledged to cooperate with the criminal investigation. Shortly after the attack, PayPal, Stripe (company), Stripe, Joyent, and Medium (website), Medium pulled their support for Gab, and GoDaddy, under which the Gab domains were registered, required Gab to relocate their domain name hosting to a different service, effectively shutting Gab down in the short term.
Criminal charges and proceedings
Federal criminal proceedings
Bowers was charged by the United States Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice with 29 Federal crime in the United States, federal crimes.
Bowers appeared in United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, federal court in Pittsburgh on October 29, 2018, and was ordered Pretrial detention, held without bail pending trial.
On October 31, Bowers was Indictment#United States, indicted on 44 counts by a federal grand jury. The charges carry a maximum Capital punishment by the United States federal government, penalty of death or 535 years in federal prison. The counts included Hate crime laws in the United States, hate crimes, 11 counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during a crime of violence, four counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer, and three counts of use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. On November 1, Bowers entered a plea of not guilty.
On January 29, 2019, the grand jury indicted Bowers on an additional 19 counts, 13 of which were for hate crimes. On February 11, 2019, Bowers was Arraignment, arraigned in federal court. Bowers is represented by his court-appointed defense attorney, Judy Clarke. Federal prosecutors are seeking the Capital punishment by the United States federal government, death penalty.
As of October 2019 a trial date had not yet been set, pending the resolution of various pretrial motions.
By October 2020 Bowers was seeking a plea deal.
In January 2022 he sought a change of venue. In June of that year, U.S. District Judge Robert Colville said he anticipated that Bowers's trial would take place in 2023, most likely between April and June.
State criminal proceedings
Bowers was also charged with 36 Allegheny County District Attorney, state criminal counts, including 11 counts of homicide#criminal homicide, criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault, six counts of attempted criminal homicide, and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation. The state charges are held in abeyance pending the federal trial.[
]
Reactions
United States
President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Braddock, Pennsylvania, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman, and Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O'Connor released statements about the incident through Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
. Trump called the shooting a wicked, antisemitism, antisemitic act of "pure evil."[ He also opined that the shooting was preventable: "If there was an armed guard inside the temple, they would have been able to stop him".] Trump suggested cases such as this call for the capital punishment in the United States, death penalty.[
Cecilia Wang of the American Civil Liberties Union said the attack, along with other recent unrest, was inspired by elements of Trump's rhetoric. Vice President Mike Pence denied any such connection in an NBC News interview that night. Over 2,000 people, including many from the local Jewish community, protested against Trump's visit to the synagogue site, chanting "words have meaning", and carrying signs with such slogans as "We build bridges Trump wall, not walls".
From October 27 to 31, all flag of the United States, US flags on public and military grounds were flown at half-mast, half-staff in memory of the victims.
On the Friday following the shooting, David M. Shribman, David Shribman, executive editor of the ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', ran the opening of the Hebrew language, Hebrew-Aramaic ''kaddish'', often called the Kaddish, Jewish mourner's prayer, as a full-width front-page headline.
In July 2021, the state legislature ended a program that provided grants to organizations considered to be potential terrorist targets. Established in 2019, the program distributed just ten million dollars.
]
International
The Eiffel Tower in Paris darkened its lights in tribute to the victims of the shooting.
Prime Minister of Israel, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the "horrifying antisemitic brutality", adding "the whole of Israel grieves with the families of the dead." Israel's education and Minister of Diaspora Affairs, diaspora affairs minister, Naftali Bennett, immediately left for Pittsburgh to visit the synagogue, meet with community members, and participate in the funerals of the victims, and directed the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs "to assess and prepare to assist the Pittsburgh Jewish community, 'including the need for emergency and resilience teams that immediately left Israel for psychological assistance and community rehabilitation.'" Cabinet of Israel, Israel's cabinet stood for a moment's silence on October 28 to honor the victims.
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau said "any murder of any Jew in any part of the world for being Jewish is unforgivable". He described the location as "a place with a profound Jewish flavor". Many news reports said he refused to refer to the Conservative congregation as a "synagogue" since it is non-Orthodox. Prominent non-Orthodox Israeli religious leaders and scholars rejected his statement.
Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality, Tel Aviv Municipality lit the city hall building with the colors of the American flag in solidarity with the victims of the Pittsburgh attack. An image of the Israeli flag next to the American flag was projected onto Jerusalem's Western Wall.
Pope Francis denounced the "inhuman act of violence" in his Sunday prayers in St. Peter's Square on October 28, and led prayers for the dead and wounded, as well as their families. He asked God "to help us to extinguish the flames of hatred that develop in our societies".
Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif offered his thoughts and prayers to the victims of the shooting, and said "Extremism and terrorism know no race or religion, and must be condemned in all cases".
Hamas offered condolences and condemned the attack.
Jan Kickert, Austrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said: "The attack ... was an attack on all of us, on what we stand for – religious liberty, human rights. We are committed to the safety and security of Jews wherever they are. I say this with growing up and living with the shame that my forefathers were among the worst perpetrators in Nazi times."
Local
Immediately after the shooting, the campus of Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...
was placed on lockdown and all university-sponsored activities were cancelled for the day.[ At the same time residents were advised by police to remain in their homes and stay off the streets.]
An unusually large proportion of the Pittsburgh Jewish community from all denominations participated in local Bereavement in Judaism, Jewish rituals related to death and mourning. Jewish tradition requires a person to guard a corpse until it is buried. ''Shemira, Shomrim'' (volunteer guards) took one-hour shifts at the Pittsburgh morgue until the bodies were moved to funeral homes. ''The Atlantic'' reported that "most of the volunteers appeared to be Orthodox, but they felt strong solidarity with the liberal communities that were directly affected by the shooting."
Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers attended the joint funeral service for the Rosenthal brothers on Tuesday, October 30, when National Football League, NFL teams are traditionally off. The brothers, who were Intellectual disability, intellectually disabled, had a sister who is a former employee of the team.
Media and organizations
''The New York Times'' published an op-ed by Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
, that urged readers to fight against antisemitism and hate.
A CNN editorial described the shooting as one of three hate-incited acts that took place in the United States in the same week, along with October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts, a series of mail bombing attempts and 2018 Jeffersontown shooting, a shooting at a Kroger grocery store in Jeffersontown, Kentucky.
On October 28, the Empire State Building darkened its lights in honor of the victims. According to the building's Twitter account, the top of the spire was left aglow with "an orange halo shining a light on gun violence awareness". In the wake of the shooting, the University of Pittsburgh darkened its traditional Victory Lights atop of the Cathedral of Learning, and on November 2, the university altered the Victory Lights so the blue beam would shine for 11 seconds, one second for each fatality.
Sports
Sports teams that observed a moment of silence for the shooting victims included the Pittsburgh Steelers at their home game against the Cleveland Browns, the New Orleans Saints at the Minnesota Vikings, the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Vancouver Canucks, the Winnipeg Jets at the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars playing in London, and the Pittsburgh Panthers football, Pittsburgh Panthers hosting Duke Blue Devils football, Duke at Heinz Field.[ A moment of silence was also observed before Game 4 of the 2018 World Series, World Series at Dodger Stadium on the night of October 27.]
The Pittsburgh Penguins wore jerseys with a patch that read "Stronger Than Hate" for their game against the New York Islanders on October 30. The team announced that, following the game, the team would auction off the jerseys on behalf of the synagogue. Similarly, the Pittsburgh Panthers football, University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team displayed a "Stronger than Hate" decal on their helmets during the November 2 game visiting the Virginia Cavaliers football, University of Virginia.
NFL player Terrell Suggs wore a Star of David on his cleats during a game in October 2019 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the shooting.
Vigils and rallies
On the evening of the shooting, over 3,000 people gathered at the intersection of Murray and Forbes avenues in Squirrel Hill for an interfaith candlelight vigil; it was organized by students from nearby Taylor Allderdice High School. Two additional vigils were held in the neighborhood.
The day after the shooting, an interfaith vigil organized by the regional Jewish Federation was held at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, drawing an overflow crowd estimated at 2,500. Attended by numerous national and local dignitaries, the event featured several speakers, including the rabbis of the three congregations that occupied the synagogue building, Islamic and Christian clergy, and civic leaders. Among those in attendance were Bill Peduto, mayor of Pittsburgh; Rich Fitzgerald, Allegheny County executive; Senators Bob Casey Jr., Bob Casey and Pat Toomey; Governor Tom Wolf; Naftali Bennett, Israeli Minister for Education and Minister for Diaspora Affairs; Ron Dermer, Israeli ambassador to the United States; and Danny Danon, permanent representative of Israel to the United Nations. A video was streamed during the event featuring Israeli president Reuven Rivlin, who offered brief remarks and led the crowd in a recitation of the Kaddish.
In the week following the attack, Jewish and interfaith communal vigils and Demonstration (political), solidarity rallies were held across the world. In the United States, these were attended by hundreds or thousands of people, in many cities across the nation. In Canada, they were held in Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver and other places. In Israel, approximately 500 Americans and Israelis lit candles on the night of October 28 at Zion Square in Jerusalem.[ In Europe, Jewish communal vigils were held in London, Liverpool, Brighton, and Paris.
College students at more than one hundred campuses across the country held vigils in the days following the shootings in memory of the victims.]
The American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federations of North America called for Jews and non-Jews to attend synagogue services on the Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
following the attack, under the hashtag #ShowUpForShabbat. NBC News reported thousands of people around the world attended services in local synagogues, community centers, and college campuses, including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Additionally, many congregations recited the prayer for martyrs Av HaRachamim even though it would normally be omitted that Shabbat.
Presidential visit
On October 30, Trump flew to Pittsburgh on Air Force One, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. They went to the synagogue, where they met with Tree of Life spiritual leader Jeffrey Myers and Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer. Trump lit candles for the victims inside and outside placed stones on each of the 11 Star-of-David markers of the memorial. The group went to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, where Trump spoke with wounded victims, their families, law enforcement officials, and medical staff.
Trump's visit was discouraged by some in the Pittsburgh community. Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto said Trump should not have come, as the wounds were raw and the community was just beginning to mourn and hold funerals. Peduto, with agreement from Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald, also urged Trump to consider "the wills of the families" of the deceased. More than 70,000 people had signed an open letter written by Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh saying that Trump was not welcome until he "fully denounces white nationalism". Former Tree of Life president Lynette Lederman opposed Trump's visit, saying she felt his words were "hypocritical" and that "We have people who stand by us who believe in values, not just Jewish values, but believe in values, and those are not the values of this president, and I do not welcome him to Pittsburgh".[
Before Trump's visit, Tree of Life rabbi Jeffrey Myers said,
]"There is hate, and it isn't going away. It just seems to be getting worse. ... We've got to stop hate, and it can't just be to say we need to stop hate. We need to do, we need to act to tone down rhetoric," adding that he would welcome a visit from Trump.
Aaron Bisno, the rabbi of Rodef Shalom Congregation, said he did not think Trump's presence was beneficial, saying that Trump had become a "symbol of division" for many. During Trump's visit to the synagogue, an estimated 2,000 protesters were cordoned off a few blocks away. Afterward, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said, "The President was very warm, very consoling."
Neo-Nazis and white supremacists
Among American Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazis and White supremacy, white supremacists, figures such as Andrew Anglin of ''The Daily Stormer'', Matthew Heimbach of the now defunct Traditionalist Workers Party, Richard B. Spencer of the National Policy Institute, Patrick Casey (white supremacist), Patrick Casey of Identity Evropa, Identity Evropa/American Identity Movement, Greg Johnson (white nationalist), Greg Johnson of Counter-Currents Publishing and the messageboard forum Stormfront (website), Stormfront expressed the fear that the backlash over the attack could derail their efforts to gain mainstream political acceptance.
4chan users on the /pol/ board viewed the attack as "accidentally redpilling" people and Denialism, denied that it had occurred. They claimed the purported attack was a "false flag" committed by Jews to gain sympathy. Some users praised the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and created the hashtag #HeroRobertBowers to express support for the shooter on Gab. A multiple-choice poll was posted asking for the best option for Jewish people in the West: 35% of respondents chose "Genocide". In another poll, the question "Do you support the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, Robert Bowers?" was posted; nearly 25% of respondents said yes, and some added inflammatory remarks.
Fundraising efforts
Numerous fundraising efforts were launched in order to assist the survivors of the shooting, pay for the burial of the victims, and pay for the repairs to the synagogue.[ As of November 1, a GoFundMe campaign which was initiated by an Iranian graduate student in Washington, D.C., had exceeded US$1 million in donations,] and a new goal of US$1.2 million has also been surpassed. Muslim groups opened a LaunchGood crowdfunding campaign to help pay for the burial of the victims and survivors' medical bills, with the funds to be distributed by the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh. As of November 1, that campaign had exceeded its goal of $150,000 with more than $225,000 in contributions.[
The organizers of the campaign announced that all excess funds would be "spent on projects that help foster Muslim-Jewish collaboration, dialogue, and solidarity". The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh raised $3.65 million for victims by November 13; donations to that organization were to be Matching funds, matched by the United Way Worldwide, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Foundation.][ Fundraising campaigns for shooting victims in the Dor Hadash and New Light congregations raised nearly $23,000 combined.
A $6.3 million fund was raised for the survivors of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, the families of the 11 dead, and police officers.
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Documentary
In 2022, ''A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting'' documentary was released by HBO Documentary Films.
See also
* Antisemitic canard
* Antisemitism in the United States
* Antisemitism in the United States in the 21st-century
* Geography of antisemitism#United States
* History of antisemitism in the United States
* List of attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States
* List of conspiracy theories#Antisemitism
* List of right-wing terrorist attacks
* List of synagogue shootings
* Radical right (United States)
* Right-wing terrorism#United States
* Terrorism in the United States
* Domestic terrorism in the United States
* Timeline of terrorist attacks in the United States
;Pittsburgh
* History of the Jews in Pittsburgh
* Murder of Neal Rosenblum
* 2009 shooting of Pittsburgh police officers
;Other antisemitic attacks
* Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple bombing, Atlanta Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple bombing (1958)
* Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting (1999)
* Seattle Jewish Federation shooting (2006)
* United States Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting (2009)
* Poway synagogue shooting (2019)
* Halle synagogue shooting (2019)
* 2019 Jersey City shooting
* Monsey Hanukkah stabbing (2019)
* Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis (2022)
Notes
References
External links
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation official website
New Light Congregation official website
Official Gab account of the accused
second archive
A YouTube video featuring the feed of the accused's account with a police scanner
Vigil for Pittsburgh shooting victims
{{Portal bar, Judaism
2018 in Judaism
2018 in Pennsylvania
2018 mass shootings in the United States
2010s in Pittsburgh
21st-century attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations in the United States
Alt-right terrorism
Antisemitism in Pennsylvania
Crimes in Pittsburgh
Deaths by firearm in Pennsylvania
Hate crimes
Jews and Judaism in Pittsburgh
Mass shootings in Pennsylvania
Massacres in religious buildings and structures
Massacres in the United States
Neo-fascist terrorist incidents in the United States
Neo-Nazism in the United States
October 2018 crimes in the United States
Terrorist incidents in Pennsylvania
Terrorist incidents in the United States in 2018
Trump administration controversies
White genocide conspiracy theory
White nationalism in Pennsylvania
Mass shootings in the United States