Bipartisan group of House Representatives commemorates Pittsburgh massacre
"We are deeply disturbed by the level of domestic anti-Semitic rhetoric and incidents"
By OMRI NAHMIASFlowers and candles are placed beneath a police cordon outside the Tree of Life Synagogue after a shooting there left 11 people dead in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018(photo credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of House Representatives issued a statement on Friday commemorating one year since the Tree of Life shooting, the deadliest antisemitic attack on US soil, saying that they are deeply disturbed by the level of domestic antisemitic rhetoric and incidents.Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Kay Granger (R-TX), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Marc Veasey (D-TX), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Co-Chairs of the House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, released a joint statement, writing that they cannot turn a blind eye to white-supremacy and domestic terrorism. "It is with the deepest sorrow that we mark the one-year anniversary of the antisemitic massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue building in Pittsburgh," the statement reads. "In this attack, we lost 11 innocent souls, who were killed simply because they were Jewish. The victims were leaders in their community, beloved by their families, and known as kind and selfless individuals by all who knew them. In a matter of minutes, we lost 813 collective years of Jewish knowledge, history, and life." "As Co-Chairs of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, we are deeply disturbed by the level of domestic antisemitic rhetoric and incidents, including everyday violence against Jews," they continued. "Since the Tree of Life attack, which was the deadliest attack against the American Jewish community in our country's history, at least 12 white supremacists have been arrested for alleged plots, threats, or attacks against the Jewish community, according to the Anti-Defamation League." "We cannot turn a blind eye to white-supremacy and domestic terrorism, nor can we accept a society where Jewish communities need an armed guard at every service," they added.
