Actress and Jewish activist Debra Messing was both devastated and furious to hear of the shooting.“Tonight I will hold the families of those lost and hurt in the #TreeofLife massacre in my heart,” Messing wrote on Instagram. “My heart breaks for the entire congregation. Please don’t let their deaths be in vain. Make a commitment to take action on their behalf. We owe them that. The shootings must stop.”
Messing also blamed Trump for inciting the murderer to action, writing, “We were all taught in kindergarten that words can hurt. And have consequences. And we see that everywhere now. It must stop. We must demand it to stop.”Actress and author Mayim Bialik also expressed her solidarity with the Pittsburgh Jewish community.“My community was touched today by gun violence, by hatred, and by viciousness on our holy Sabbath,” Bialik wrote late Saturday on Facebook. “The Jewish community is a global family and we share the pain of our brothers and sisters in Squirrel Hill and greater Pittsburgh. May this transition to the week help us find something resembling sense. Pittsburgh, you are in our hearts.”
— Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) October 28, 2018Barbra Streisand wrote on Twitter, “My heart goes out to those families in Pittsburgh who are grieving,” while Israeli actor Aviv Alush (The Shack, Beauty and the Baker) shared a news story on the shooting and wrote, “Just because they were Jews.”
Actress and Girls creator Lena Dunham wrote on Twitter, “I don’t talk about my Jewish faith a lot, but it’s a huge part of my life, family and heart. It is painful & tragic to see a place of prayer cleaved by bigotry & hate, yet again. Please return our shalom to us with prayers & active support of the Jewish member of your community.”Many luminaries offered a political message and called for stricter gun-control policies in the wake of the shooting.“We can’t go to the movies/ We can’t go to church/ We can’t go to synagogue/ We can’t go to a mosque/ We can’t go to a concert/ We can’t go to school/ We can’t go to work/ So we have to go to the polls,” wrote Broadway star Ben Platt, adding the hashtag #GunSenseCandidates.My heart goes out to those families in Pittsburgh who are grieving.
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) October 28, 2018
Josh Malina, known for his roles in Scandal and The West Wing, wrote, “Whether or not a direct line from his words to today’s horrific acts can be drawn, Trump’s anti-Jewish rhetoric and dog whistles make such attacks more likely. And the same can be said for the garbage he spouts about other groups. #VoteBlueToSaveAmerica.”And Seinfeld star Jason Alexander expressed devastation and sadness after the news.“There are no words,” he wrote on Twitter. “Or rather, there are words that would bring change, but our leaders don’t have the courage to say them. So, all we can do is say prayers. #TreeOfLifeSynagogue – our hearts continue to break.”We can’t go to the movies We can’t go to church We can’t go to synagogue We can’t go to a mosque We can’t go to a concert We can’t go to schoolWe can’t go to work So we have to go to the polls. #GunSenseCandidates
— Ben Platt (@BenSPLATT) October 27, 2018