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Luz Lazo
Transportation reporter covering the Washington subway, buses, Capital Bikeshare, taxis and the road network of the region
October 28 at 19:01
Miriam Rieger grew up in Pittsburgh and participated in activities at the Tree of Life synagogue. His father ran the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for 24 years. His friends from the summer camp attend Tree of Life. His brother and his family live three blocks from the synagogue that was the scene of Saturday's mbadacre.
"My heart hurts me at home," said Rieger, 43, of Takoma at his congregation at Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue at Upper Northwestern Washington, DC, on Sunday. a dark afternoon ceremony to pay homage to those who were killed.
"What happened yesterday is inconceivable," she paused, crying. "But in our current reality, I guess that should not be the case."
Throughout the Washington area, members of the Jewish community cried and mourned the victims of death in Pittsburgh. Robert Bowers, 46, reportedly killed 11 people on Saturday morning. to the tree of life. According to the police, Bowers only needed a few minutes – and three handguns and a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle to carry out the deadliest attack of the day. history of the United States.
[‘I just want to kill Jews:’ Documents detail the Pittsburgh synagogue mbadacre and name the dead]
Among the dead, a 97-year-old woman, a husband and wife, and two brothers, all of whom attended the Saturday morning services when a gunman walked through an open door, shouting anti-Semitic insults and shooting weapons. Six other people were injured, including three police officers.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) kisses Herzfeld after the service. (Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post)
The region's synagogues were full of worshipers. They said commemorative prayers. They sang "Stand by Me" and hymns of hope, healing and gathering. Those of other religions joined them. Elected officials condemned the act of violence.
Together, they cried.
"There is mainly pain and sorrow," said Rabbi Aaron Alexander of the Adas Israel congregation in Cleveland Park. "When one of us is attacked, we all feel attacked."
In Adas, families entered the temple through metal detectors and were greeted at the door by two police officers. the police. Morning service attracted four times as many people as the usual crowd, officials said. When the names of the 11 victims were read, the silence was painful.
[ The Shooting that took place in the Pittsburgh Synagogue]
"What we are feeling today is a broken heart. Pain, sorrow, love, compbadion, but also resolution, "Alexander said. "It's going to be a long process of healing."
Security was strengthened in synagogues and other places of worship in the region, with police cars parked outside and officers inside welcoming worshipers attending worship clbades and Hebrew victims.
Religious leaders emphasized before the pulpits unity and the defeat of hatred. Elected officials, including Muriel E. Bowser (D), mayor of the CdC, called for dialogue and an end to hostility towards the most vulnerable in the country. Calls have been made for more "reasonable" laws on gun control and more resources for mental health awareness.
"In Washington, we denounce all forms of anti-Semitism, ignorance and hatred," said Bowser as he stood alongside Rabbi Shmuel. Herzfeld after a special service to Ohev Sholom. "We are united to protect our neighbors."
"I looked up and all these corpses were found": a witness tells the horror of the synagogue mbadacre
"People were attacked in their place of worship for who they are, for what they believe, to be Jewish. We know it's not America, "said Bowser.
million. Bowser said all the city's resources were made available to increase the visibility of the police in synagogues and other places of worship. The schools in the city were also strengthening security, she said.
The leaders said that the Jewish community was suffering a lot in the country, not only for itself, but for the frequent acts of violence committed in the United States.
Exclusion is becoming more and more widespread and normative, but it is a window on which to flourish and develop in the highest functions of our country. And I'm sorry we continue to allow that, "said Alexander.
At the Har Shalom Congregation in the Potomac, Rabbi Adam Raskin led a vigil Sunday morning to give the community of more than 700 families a space of mourning and strength he said, to resist hatred .
"We must do our part to change the tone of the conversation in this country, which has become a subject of contention," said Raskin, "a rhetoric that tore people up rather than bring them
" It reminds us to be more vigilant about hate, not just when it happens to you, but to whoever, "said Raskin. "One day, they are Jews. The next day, it's the Muslims. The next day is the LGBT community. The next day is another minority. We must remain vigilant not only for ourselves, but also one for the other. "
[The lives lost in the Pittsburgh shooting]
Marci and Eric Skigen from Gaithersburg came looking for these tools after waking up on Sunday morning worried about how to explain the harm to their four children. The morning Hebrew lesson turned into an emotional discussion about the mbadacre and many questions from their children. They found a healing moment in Har Shalom, where colorful markers and large sheets of paper the size of a table allowed the children to write or draw their feelings.
"We pray for you, Pittsburgh," wrote Ariana 12. in bright blue, a message the synagogue will send to Tree of Life. She then hugged her mother and cried.
"I am sad. It's hard to know that people are hurt, "said the girl, her eyes swollen with tears that she has been crying since Saturday. "It's just hard for me to see that."
His older brother, Jack, 15, could not explain the feeling either.
"It's a bit surreal that someone will act out of prejudice to enter a place of worship and murder people," he said. It's … it's a little hard to think. "
Noah, age 9, the youngest of the four, stepped in with an answer.
"I hope our generation can fix it," he said. At 11:15 am, more than 350 people sat in a circle, praying and singing, then silently listening to the names of the 11 victims read.
All of them then declared aloud: "Author of life. Source and Creator, Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace to the victims of the Pittsburgh Mbadacre, whose life was interrupted by violence, a senseless and senseless aggression that goes beyond understanding.
"Their hopes were dashed. Their dreams were lost because of the brutality, "read the group. "Source of love, put an end to anger, hatred and fear."
An interfaith service is scheduled for 18:30. Monday at Congregation Adas Israel, where many members of the Jewish community in the region should be joined by other religious groups and elected leaders, including Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R).
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