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April 25, 2015

October 27, 2018: TREE OF LIFE SHOOTING

Background

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  • On Saturday October 27th, 2019, 11 congregants and 4 police officers were shot during Shabbat morning services at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, PN.

  • Assailant was 46 year old Robert Bower who entered the temple at 9:50 with an AR-15 and 3 glock guns.

  • First police call was at 9:54 a.m., and a SWAT team was dispatched.

  • Was firing in the synagogue for 20 minutes before exchanging fire with police officers and was injured.

  • Charged with 29 criminal counts: 11 homicides, 6 aggravated assaults, 13 ethnic intimidations.

  • Robert Bowers shared Anti-Jewish and Anti-Semitism views on the social media site GAB, a platform used by the alt-right to express hate-speech.

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Psychological Impact

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  • Immediate and long term psychological impact on individuals varies along with relational and physical proximity. Psychological first aid starts by providing emotional safety and stability.

  • Many of the victims and survivors were aged 54 to 97, which is unique among similar tragedies. Older adults are at a greater psychological risk, due to being more isolated and less likely to see psychological care.

  • Worshippers across religions came together in solidarity to host vigils and share in the familiar grief and trauma of this victimization.

  • In the early stages, trouble sleeping, feeling numb and other trauma related reactions may be typical. Trauma reactions vary and may diminish over time with care, or may develop into PTSD.

  • Immediate, direct impact on individual, community and larger religious safety and security. Diminished sense of safety needs to be restored in treatment. Following the event Pittsburgh’s Jewish community reported remaining in shock and feeling unsafe in synagogue. Many also felt unsafe showing any outward displays of religion.

  • Growing global danger of modern white-supremacy, xenophobia, anti-semitism.

  • Long term national and global political effects as right-wing nationalist politicians are elected throughout the world. Far right extremists with xenophobic, anti-immigrant and anti-semitic beliefs may be emboldened as a result of government legitimization.

  • Possible long term connections being built between religions with shared victimization and trauma, which could result in expanded community support.

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