President Biden commemorates anniversary of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that killed 11 people

President Joe Biden on Saturday marked the sixth anniversary of a gunman’s deadly attack on a synagogue in Pittsburgh, calling out what he called “the terrible rise of anti-Semitism” amid the war in Gaza.

In the 2018 attack, 11 worshipers from the Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life congregations, who shared the same space at the synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the heart of the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, lost their lives. Two worshipers and five police officers were also injured in the attack, which was the deadliest act of anti-Semitism in US history.

Biden said in a statement that the attack “torn families apart, pierced the heart of the Jewish community, and struck the soul of our nation.” But in the years since then, he said, the Jewish community has “also shown the country how to boldly turn suffering into purpose” and “launched a global initiative against hatred and hate-fueled violence.”

Biden noted that the commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack comes weeks after the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which “Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, took 250 hostages and committed horrific acts of sexual assault.”

He said the trauma and loss of Oct. 7 was exacerbated by the “terrifying rise of anti-Semitism against Jews in America and around the world.”

The attack sparked a war between Israel and the militant group Hamas and led to widespread destruction and civilian deaths in Gaza.

Biden said his administration is implementing a national strategy to combat antisemitism, including providing $1.2 billion for security at nonprofits such as synagogues, Jewish community centers and day schools. He also cited the Justice Department’s investigation and prosecution of antisemitic hate crimes and said his administration “made colleges realize that antisemitism is discrimination” and banned it under laws protecting civil rights.

Vice President Kamala Harris also touched upon the increase in antisemitism in her statement on the anniversary of the Pittsburgh attack.

“I will always work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people in the United States and around the world, and will call out anti-Semitism wherever and whenever we see it,” he said.

The Pittsburgh shooter was sentenced to death last year after being convicted of 63 crimes, including hate crimes resulting in death.

In June, ground was broken on a new complex in the Pittsburgh area that will include a cultural center, sanctuary, education center and museum, as well as a memorial to slain worshipers from three congregations.