To honor the 11, we must remain stronger than hate
Not enough of our former allies are as quick to condemn the rabid Jew-hatred that is veiled in the guise of “political speech.”
Eight years ago, our community was shattered when an antisemite armed with an assault rifle stormed the Tree of Life building on a Shabbat morning and shot everyone he saw. He murdered 11 congregants — stalwarts of Jewish Pittsburgh — from three congregations: Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life. He seriously wounded six other people, including four first responders, who bravely fought him and stopped the rampage, which could have been even worse.
The citywide, nationwide and worldwide response to that attack was deep and sincere, wrapping the survivors, the families of the victims and the community in a big metaphorical hug through messages of empathy, support and love. Here in Pittsburgh, the lawn signs and T-shirts sprouted, proclaiming that we were Stronger than Hate. It seemed to be true.
But what does that phrase mean in 2026, eight years after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, and three years since the deadly Hamas-led attack in Israel, as vile and dangerous Jew-hating ideologies surface, even among many whom we previously considered friends or allies?
The white supremacist who murdered Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, David Rosenthal, Cecil Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Dan Stein, Irving Younger and Melvin Wax was easy to condemn. A racist who hated not only Jews but immigrants, who aligned himself with neo-Nazis and was an adherent of the “great replacement theory,” a conspiracy theory that accuses Jews of facilitating immigration with the goal of replacing white people. All but the morally depraved knew that what he did was wrong.
But not enough of our former allies are as quick to condemn the rabid Jew-hatred that is veiled in the guise of “political speech.” When anti-Zionists paint “Death to Zionism” on the Fence at Carnegie Mellon University, or yell “Free Palestine” as they attack Jewish college students, or rip Israeli flags at private homes, the backlash from our broader community has been muted. When anti-Zionists murder Jews whom they perceive as supporting Israel, or shoot at synagogues, the reaction from a large swath of the population is a shoulder shrug.
Yes, there are still some upstanding non-Jewish allies who stick up for our community on social media and join us at events celebrating our culture and our Jewish homeland, but the breadth of that allyship has waned. And we feel it.
While we remain grateful for the neighbors and colleagues and elected officials who stand with us in the face of today’s threats, we fear that the Jew-hatred in the guise of anti-Zionism — a racist and bigoted hate movement — is being normalized.
But it is not normal.
It is not normal for politicians to falsely accuse Israel of genocide and apartheid.
It is not normal for elected officials who represent large Jewish neighborhoods to refuse to engage with the mainstream representatives of that community.
It is not normal for political candidates to campaign with internet personalities who justify terrorism against Jews.
We must not become complacent and accept that Jew-hatred — whether in the form of antisemitism spewed by a white supremacist or hateful anti-Zionist rhetoric from Israel-hating college students — as normal. We must continue to call it what it is: unacceptable bigotry. And as elections approach, all of us must do the research and support the candidates who best represent principled values, those candidates who truly are stronger than hate.
To be clear, not all criticism of Israel is antisemitic. But that doesn’t mean that none of it is — particularly when it takes the form of speech that could lead to violence.
While moral clarity is becoming elusive among a growing segment of the broader community, we must ensure our own remains intact.
The preservation of Judaism was paramount to the 11 precious souls who were martyred on Oct. 27, 2018. We owe it to them — as well as to future generations of Jews — to reject the normalization of hate, and to remain strong.
May their memories continue to be a blessing. PJC
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