cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: '36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b' }).render('4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6'); }); if(window.location.pathname.indexOf("656089") != -1){console.log("hedva connatix");document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";} On Saturday, a gunman entered the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh and killed 11 people , wounding six others. It was the worst recorded anti-Semitic act in American history.Here’s how the tragedy happened. (This account has been reconstructed from JTA’s reporting, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The New York Times and the “Today” show. Some of the times are approximate. )Robert Bowers, the alleged gunman, is a truck driver from the Pittsburgh area who lives in a one-bedroom apartment about a half-hour’s drive from Squirrel Hill, the diverse neighborhood that has long been the center of the city’s Jewish community. Acquaintances described him to The Times as a loner, “pretty much a ghost” with few people close to him. His next-door neighbor would see him occasionally but had forgotten his name.But that quiet exterior obscured Bowers’ hateful beliefs, which he expressed on Gab, a social media platform for the far right. Bowers would post bigoted and anti-Semitic comments. Shortly before the shooting he vilified HIAS, the Jewish refugee aid group, for its work resettling Middle Eastern refugees in the United States.“HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people,” he wrote on his website. “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”Services begin at Tree of Life Congregation, a synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood that houses three congregations: Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, a merger of two Conservative synagogues; New Light, a small Conservative congregation that draws about 20 worshippers weekly; and Dor Hadash, a Reconstructionist congregation.At the entrance, Cecil and David Rosenthal, brothers who are active members of Tree of Life, are handing out prayer books. There is a table with challah, wine and whiskey for a bris, or circumcision ceremony, being held that morning. In the kitchen, two other community members, Daniel Stein and Richard Gottfried, are preparing lox, cream cheese, bagels and eggs.The gunman enters and begins shooting. His first victims, according to a Times account, are the Rosenthal brothers, ages 54 and 59. He then enters New Light, where Melvin Wax, 88, is leading services.The first call is placed to 911, apparently by Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life. Barry Werber, of New Light, also calls 911 around this time.Myers told “Today” that when he first heard the gunshots, he assumed it was an elderly person who had grabbed onto a coat rack for balance and knocked it over. Seconds afterward, after a second round of volleys, Myers realizes he’s hearing gunfire.Myers takes the four congregants at the front of the sanctuary out of an entrance at the front of the room that leads to a labyrinth of hallways and an exit from the building. He holes up in a balcony from which he can hear the gunshots. He is unable to access the eight remaining congregants sitting in the back of the sanctuary.After hearing the gunshots, several congregants of New Light — Werber, Wax, Rabbi Jonathan Pearlman and Carol Black — hide in a storage closet. They are unable to find the light switch, leaving the room pitch black.The shooting subsides, and Wax opens the door. He is shot and killed.The gunman then enters the storage closet and begins to fumble around in the dark, with the three other congregants still inside. Unable to see them, he leaves.The gunman goes upstairs to the Tree of Life congregation, where a number of congregants remain, and begins shooting. Seven are killed, one injured.“I couldn’t save those eight people,” Myers told Today. “I went up into the choir loft and heard him execute my congregants.”Stein, 71, and Gottfried, 66, are among the murdered. The remaining victims are Sylvan Simon, 86, and Bernice Simon, 84, a husband and wife, along with Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; Joyce Fienberg, 75; Rose Mallinger, 97; and Irving Younger, 69.Two others, including Daniel Leger, 70, are injured.The first police officers arrive on the scene and begin to engage the gunman. He returns fire from the front of the building.“We’re under fire, we’re under fire,” an officer reports. “He’s got an automatic weapon, he’s firing at us from the synagogue.”The shooter then retreats into the building and barricades himself on the third floor.The SWAT team arrives. Police have set up a perimeter around the building.SWAT officers begin to escort congregants out of the building. The SWAT team moves through the building.The SWAT team encounters the gunman on the third floor and begins exchanging fire with him. One officer is critically wounded.The gunman begins talking to the officers. He identifies himself as Robert Bowers, age 46, from Baldwin Borough.Bowers, who is wounded, crawls toward the officers and surrenders. Five minutes later he is taken into custody. According to an officer, as Bowers crawls toward the officers, he is “talking about [how] all these Jews need to die.”<doc-sep>Social media site used by Pittsburgh mass shooting suspect says it 'isn’t going anywhere' The social media website used by Pittsburgh mass shooting suspect Robert Bowers, 46, says it “isn’t going anywhere.”Gab.com is a social media site popular with users banned by more mainstream social media such as Twitter.White nationalist, neo-Nazis and other extremists have been known to use the site. Bowers posted on Gab prior to Saturday’s shooting that killed 11 people at a synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Among his final posts were, "HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in. "HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is a global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees.Long ago, Gab had been cut off from smartphone app stores and, in the wake of the shooting, was banned by payment processor PayPal.In the wake of that decision, the social media site put up a statement claiming it was under attack and would be transitioning to a new hosting provider and would be inaccessible for a period of time.A follow-up statement released early Tuesday morning says Gab is cooperating with the investigation, reading in part, “Gab has spent the past 48 hours proudly working with the DOJ and FBI to bring justice to an alleged terrorist. Because of the data we provided, they now have plenty of evidence for their case.”In the new statement, CEO Andrew Torba describes Gab as “the most censored, smeared, and no-platformed startup in history.”Torba also vows in the statement, “Gab isn’t going anywhere.”Toward the end of the statement, Torba writes, “No-platform us all you want. Ban us all you want. Smear us all you want. You can’t stop an idea.”No timeline has been announced for Gab to receive a new hosting provider. The social media website used by Pittsburgh mass shooting suspect Robert Bowers, 46, says it “isn’t going anywhere.” Gab.com is a social media site popular with users banned by more mainstream social media such as Twitter. Advertisement White nationalist, neo-Nazis and other extremists have been known to use the site. Bowers posted on Gab prior to Saturday’s shooting that killed 11 people at a synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Among his final posts were, "HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in." HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is a global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees. Long ago, Gab had been cut off from smartphone app stores and, in the wake of the shooting, was banned by payment processor PayPal. In the wake of that decision, the social media site put up a statement claiming it was under attack and would be transitioning to a new hosting provider and would be inaccessible for a period of time. A follow-up statement released early Tuesday morning says Gab is cooperating with the investigation, reading in part, “Gab has spent the past 48 hours proudly working with the DOJ and FBI to bring justice to an alleged terrorist. Because of the data we provided, they now have plenty of evidence for their case.” In the new statement, CEO Andrew Torba describes Gab as “the most censored, smeared, and no-platformed startup in history.” Torba also vows in the statement, “Gab isn’t going anywhere.” Toward the end of the statement, Torba writes, “No-platform us all you want. Ban us all you want. Smear us all you want. You can’t stop an idea.” No timeline has been announced for Gab to receive a new hosting provider.<doc-sep>Ron Feltman, senior pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Elmhurst, wrote a message of support to Etz Chaim: “As your colleague down the road in Elmhurst, I want you to know that our hearts have been with you and all our Jewish brothers and sisters in the face of the act of terror in Pittsburgh. In our worship services yesterday, I confessed that I do not know what it is like to fear violence simply because of my religion, skin color, or sexual orientation. I just know that we can share with you how dear our religious kinship is and that we stand with you in any way we can.”<doc-sep>
Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters. At a press conference Sunday morning, federal officials announced new details about the deadly shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue Saturday morning. They said the accused gunman Roberts Bowers killed 11 people, ranging from 54 to 97 years old. The victims included a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, a pair of brothers, and a husband and wife. These were the Tree of Life synagogue victims: Joyce Feinberg, 75 Rich Gotfried, 65 Rose Malinger, 97 Jerry Rabinowitz, 66 Cecil Rosenthal, 59 David Rosenthal, 54 (brothers) Bernice Simon, 84 Sylvan Simon, 86 (a married couple) Daniel Stein, 71 Melvin Wax, 88 Irving Youngner, 69 — Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) October 28, 2018 The 46-year-old Bowers used three Glock .357 handguns and an AR-15 assault rifle, the same weapon used in mass shootings that have taken place in Parkland, Las Vegas, San Bernardino, Newtown, Orlando, and Aurora. The attack is being treated as a hate crime, and Bowers will make his first appearance in court Monday to face 29 federal charges. Scott Brady, the US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, said Bowers “made statements about genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people.” According to the criminal complaint, Bowers said during his deadly attack “They’re committing genocide to my people. I just want to kill Jews.” Bowers’ social media posts indicate he blamed Jewish organizations, specifically the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), for helping to bring refugees to the US. He frequently posted about the migrant “caravan” from Central America that Donald Trump and conservative news outlets have repeatedly highlighted as bringing “an onslaught of illegal aliens” in recent weeks. Yesterday, just before he entered the synagogue, Bowers wrote on the social network Gab, which hosts extremist right-wing views, “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” The Pittsburgh shooting has reignited the national debate over gun control. Donald Trump said on Saturday that the shooting could have been prevented with armed guards at the synagogue and dismissed the need for stricter gun laws. At the press conference on Sunday, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, rejected his dismissal, saying, “I think the approach we need to be looking at is how we can take the guns, which is the common denominator of every mass shooting in America, out of those that are looking to express hatred and murder.” Trump held a campaign rally on Saturday night in southern Illinois, where he said “this evil anti-Semitic attack is an assault on all of us,” and then ended the night by tweeting about the flawed managerial decisions of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.