Six Years Since Deadly Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, We Must Call Out Increasingly Normalized Antisemitism and Extremism

This Sunday, October 27th will mark six years since the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in American history, when a white supremacist gunman killed 11 Jewish worshippers from three congregations at the Tree of Life building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Jewish Americans in Pittsburgh and across the country continue to mourn and honor the victims of that terrible day, and remain deeply concerned by surging antisemitism and the ongoing threat of hate-based political violence. 

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), released the following statement:

“Six years after the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history, the vile hate that fueled it has become wholly normalized in far too many ways.

This tragic anniversary should serve as a clear reminder of both the crisis of antisemitism and the fact that all of our safety and our futures are intertwined. When Jews are unsafe, all of our communities and our democracy are unsafe. And so too when our democracy is undermined and any community is threatened, Jews are unsafe.

We see this firsthand in these antisemitic, white supremacist, and anti-immigrant conspiracy theories, which have driven a cycle of deadly violence against vulnerable communities, from Charlottesville to Pittsburgh to El Paso to Buffalo and beyond. Far from remaining on the fringes of the internet or extremist movements, these ideologies, tropes, and conspiracies are often espoused and promoted by leading politicians and pundits – who dehumanize and incite violence against Jews, other marginalized groups, and our democratic institutions. 

As we approach Election Day in the midst of a deeply contentious campaign, we must remain clear-eyed about how such dangerous rhetoric so often leads to real world violence. By pitting communities against one another and sowing distrust in our institutions and the rule of law, they ultimately seek to undermine our democracy and make each and every community unsafe. 

Particularly in the face of these threats, we feel tremendous hope and pride in the resilience of the Pittsburgh Jewish community and the deep solidarity between the city’s diverse communities in the aftermath of this attack. 

As we remember the 11 precious lives that were taken from us six years ago in Pittsburgh, we can honor them by doing everything possible to overcome hate, build solidarity, and make our communities safer. 

May their memories forever be a blessing.”

In June, Spitalnick joined the groundbreaking for The Tree of Life, the new institution dedicated to uprooting antisemitism and identity-based hate that grew out of the tragedy. JCPA partnered with The Tree of Life on its first-ever public program, held last month, on “Antisemitism, Democracy, and the Struggle for an Inclusive America.

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