Six Years After Deadliest Antisemitic Attack, Nation Remembers 11 Killed in Tree of Life Shooting

Oct 27, 2024, 03:00 PM

On October 27, 2024, the nation commemorated the 6th anniversary of the Tree of Life-Or L'Simcha synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, where 11 worshippers were killed and 6 wounded during Shabbat services by a white supremacist shouting 'All Jews must die'. Officials and community leaders, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, issued statements marking the anniversary and emphasized the ongoing need to combat antisemitism amid a rise in hate crimes. Biden noted an 'appalling surge of antisemitism' amid the war in Gaza. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Bob Casey, and Representative Summer Lee were among many who honored the victims—Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger—and called for continued efforts to fight hate and bigotry in all forms. A memorial service was scheduled to take place to remember the lives lost. Amid the commemoration, it was reported that last week someone stole the synagogue’s memorial plaque in an act of hate.