We are reliving pre-Hitler days’ Woodmere resident says

Shortly before 10 a.m.. on Oct. 27, Richard Bowers walked into the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh and opened fire.

Bowers, 46, according to multiple reports, had posted an anti-Jewish message on his Gab social media account that read: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered,” he said. “Screw your optics, I’m going in.” That was at 9:49 a.m.

Five minutes later a 911 call was made to the Allegheny County Emergency Operations Center about an active shooter. Police were dispatched. Shots were exchanged. Bullets from Bowers AR-15 assault rifle and possibly three handguns struck 17 people, killing 11 and injuring six, including four police officers. His words after being taken into custody according to police were, “All these Jews need to die.”

Bowers, who was also shot, was charged by federal officials with 29 criminal counts, including obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs — a hate crime — and using a firearm to commit murder. He also faces state charges, including 11 counts of criminal homicide, six counts of aggravated assault and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation. He was indicted on 44 federal counts on Oct. 31.

Immediately after news of the shooting broke, many took to social media, especially Twitter to react to the mass shooting. It was the 294th such incident this year in the United States. A mass shooting is defined as four or more individuals being shot or killed in the same general time and location. 

Anti-Semitism appeared to be a motive for the shooting as Bowers targeted the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society for his ire. It is a nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. The Anti-Defamation League has reported that anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. has risen by 57 percent in 2017 from 1,267 in 2016 to 1,986. The largest increase since the ADL began tracking in 1979.

Only once since 1979 has the ADL recorded more incidents: 2,066 in 1994. Since then, the incidents had mostly declined. There were small increases in 2014 and 2015. Then, in 2016, the count began to rise.

Where is all this hate, especially anti-Semitism coming from?

Political activist Cindy Crosz views the problem in the context of education. “People don’t understand the issues,” the Woodmere resident said, “the voting record [of legislators] speaks volumes about who is voting, who in Washington is cutting money to terrorists. People are not afraid to come out with anti-Semitic remarks or pictures. Attention has to be paid to this. We are reliving pre-Hitler days.”

Depending where a person is on the political spectrum most likely informs their viewpoint. People on the left are more than likely to blame President Trump’s fiery rhetoric. Those on the right whip up the typical Jewish conspiracy theories.

But Jonathan Schanzer, a former U.S. Treasury terror finance analyst and current senior vice president of research for the Foundation for Defense for Democracies said on Twitter: “If you’re blaming one person, one party, one movement for anti-Semitism, you really don’t understand the problem.”

Five Towns synagogues and yeshivas have put out missives praying for the victims and noting that they will reconsider enhanced security. “In the hours and days ahead, our executive board will be meeting with our security guards, our security consultant, and will coordinate with the Nassau County Police Department as we’ve done on an ongoing basis in the past. We will review our procedures and make any necessary modifications,” officials from Young Israel of Woodmere, the South Shore’s largest Orthodox Jewish congregation wrote in an email.

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