By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency / Jewish News Agency
Pittsburgh — October 26, 2019 … Thousands of Jews are marking the one year anniversary of the Tree of Life Pittsburgh synagogue massacre this weekend.
One year ago, on October 27 at 9:54 am, a heavily armed white supremacist entered the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh and began the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
Armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle and at least three handguns, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs opened fire inside the synagogue Saturday morning, murdering 11 congregants, wounding four police officers and two others.
The American Jewish Committee has sponsored a #ShowUpForShabbat campaign asking all Jews to attend Shabbat services this weekend to honor the victims and dedicate themselves to combating hate and antisemitism.
Please see: www.ajc.org/showupforshabbat.
Thousands are expected to participate in Sunday’s remembrance through #PauseWithPittsburgh, a virtual memorial event created by the Jewish Federations of North America.
People who register on the event’s website will receive a text message or email at 5 p.m. EDT Sunday. They will see a two-minute video of the names of the 11 victims, followed by a Jewish prayer of mourning recorded by a cantor in Israel specifically for this commemoration.
There also will be a link to a livestream of the public memorial service in Pittsburgh.
Please read the following OP-ED by Jeffrey Myers, the Rabbi of Tree of Life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
I Am the Rabbi of Tree of Life Synagogue. Here Is a Simple Thing We All Can Do to Help Stop the Next Christchurch