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Luz Lazo
Transportation reporter covering the Washington Metro, buses, Bikeshare Capital, taxis and the region's road network
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Miriam Rieger participated in youth 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 massacre.
"My heart hurts for my home," said Rieger, 43, of Takoma, to his congregation at Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue in Northwestern Washington, during a dark afternoon of service to honor those killed.
"What happened yesterday is inconceivable," she paused, crying. "But in our current reality, I guess it should not be."
Throughout the Washington area, members of the Jewish community cried and cried after those who were killed in Pittsburgh when Robert Bowers, 46, shot and killed 11 people on Saturday at Tree of Life. According to the police, Bowers needed only a few minutes – and three handguns and a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle to carry out the deadliest attack against the Jews of American history.
[‘I just want to kill Jews:’ Documents detail the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre and name the dead]
Among the dead, there is a 97-year-old woman, a husband and wife, and two brothers, all of whom attended Mass on Saturday morning when a gunman came through an open door, shouting anti-Semitic insults and threats. fire arms. Six other people were injured, including three police officers.
Mayor D. Muriel E. Bowser (D) kisses Herzfeld after the service. (Bill O 'Leary / The Washington Post)
The synagogues of the region were full of faithful. 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.
"It's 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 from DC. 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.
[[[[How did the shooting of the Pittsburgh synagogue unfold?
"What we are feeling today is broken hearts that spring up. Pain, sorrow, love, compassion, but also resolution, "Alexander said. "It's going to be a long process of healing."
Security has been strengthened in synagogues and other places of worship in the region. Police cars were parked outside and officers inside greeted worshipers, Hebrew classes and special events in the honor of the victims. .
Since the pulpits, religious leaders have focused on unity and the defeat of hate. 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, DC, we denounce all forms of anti-Semitism, ignorance and hatred," Bowser told 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 massacre
"People have been 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.
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 also enhance security, she said.
The Jewish community across the country is suffering, leaders said, not only for itself but for the frequent acts of violence committed in the United States.
"Hate speech and exclusion are becoming not only increasingly widespread and normative, but also, from the highest functions of our country, a window on which to develop and develop. And I'm sorry we continue to allow that, "said Alexander.
At the Har Shalom Congregation in Potomac, Rabbi Adam Raskin led a vigil Sunday morning to give the community of more than 700 families space to mourn and gain strength, he said, to resist hate.
"We have to do our part to change the content of the conversation in this country, which has become a divisive issue," said Raskin, "a rhetoric that has torn people rather than gathered.
"It reminds us to be more vigilant about hate resistance, not just when it happens to you, but to whoever," Raskin said. "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 for others as well. "
[The lives lost in the Pittsburgh shooting]
Marci and Eric Skigen from Gaithersburg came 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 massacre 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, synagogue message for Tree of Life. She then kissed her mother and cried.
"I'm 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 hard for me to see this."
His older brother, Jack, 15, could not explain that feeling either.
"It's a bit surreal that somebody will act out of prejudice to go to a place of worship and murder people," he said. "It is. . . it's a bit difficult to think.
Noah, 9, the youngest of the four, spoke with an answer.
"I hope our generation will be able to solve this problem," he said.
At 11:15 am, over 350 people sat in a circle, praying and singing, then silently listening to the names of the 11 victims.
Then aloud all said: "Author of life. Source and Creator, Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace to the victims of the Pittsburgh Massacre, whose life was cut by violence, an outburst of insane and foolish aggression.
"Their hopes have been cut. 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 at 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 (right).
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