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Massacre wasn’t supposed to happen here, but did

3 min read
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The common response to a mass killing that occurs hundreds of miles from where you live is, “That’s horrible. But that can’t happen here.”

Then it happened here.

On an already-dreary, rainy Saturday morning, a gunman – apparently acting alone – entered the Tree of Life Congregation in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh and began shooting. In 20 minutes, he walked through the synagogue and killed 11 people and wounded six others, four of them police officers, before being seized. His rampage has been categorized as a hate crime.

The suspect – Robert Bowers, 46, of Baldwin Borough – has been linked to hate-filled messages online. He entered the synagogue with a rifle and three handguns and was wounded in an exchange of fire with police.

This was one of the deadliest attacks against the Jewish community in our nation’s history. It traumatized millions of people at the end of a week distinguished by bombs being mailed to significant Democratic figures, and was the latest mass tragedy involving guns.

Fear has become an overriding emotion locally, with the realization that a horrifying event such as this not only could happen nearby, but at venues that are traditionally considered to be safe and secure: houses of worship, schools, grocery stores, movie theaters, restaurants.

Three individuals leaving Sunday afternoon Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Washington expressed grim concerns in interviews with the Observer-Reporter’s Rick Shrum. Diana Wolf, a city resident, said simply, “I feared going to church today. I just don’t know where the hate comes from today.”

Mindy Hughes of Washington, accompanied by two granddaughters, said, “It makes you feel like you can’t go anywhere anymore without worrying who has a gun.”

Jim Snyder of Scenery Hill, a man with an easy smile, turned serious when he said, “It’s hard to understand that it could happen here. I guess evil lurks everywhere.”

His sensibilities traumatized by what had occurred hours earlier, Rabbi Joshua Lief of Temple Shalom in Wheeling, W.Va., spoke angrily and most eloquently Saturday evening. He served sumptuous food for thought, saying, “At the core, this is not about a person who hates Jews and wanted to kill them. An attack on a house of worship is an attack on all people.”

Washington County Judge Gary Gilman, board president of Congregation Beth Israel, the synagogue in Washington, lamented Sunday, “It’s so sad there’s so much animus around in the 21st century.”

This brazen and brutal attack also galvanized a lot of people. Candlelight vigils took place throughout the Pittsburgh area. GoFundMe accounts were set up for victims’ families and for Tree of Life. Blood banks extended their hours Saturday.

If a glimpse of the cramped blood bank on West Beau Street was an accurate barometer, Washington stood tall in the aftermath of this tragedy. About 30 individuals, a crowd overflowing into the hallway, were waiting to donate blood in the late afternoon. Kudos to the generous donors and the staff patiently tending to them.

The public response was similar to that of 9/11, but on a smaller scale. Both events had a commonality, though: people united by fear, grief and uncertainty following an occurrence that wasn’t supposed to happen – but did.

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