Forty-six year-old Robert D. Bowers, stormed into Pittsburgh Tree of Life Congregation and opened fire, killing 11 congregants and wounding 4 police officers on October 27, 2018. Bowers fired for several minutes before leaving the synagogue as police finally arrived to the scene. Said to be injured by gunfire, the actual cause of death is still unknown. Previous posts on social media portray Bowers as a hateful Anti-Semite who posted his negative views on the topic.  His social media account was full of references to anti-Jewish conspiracy theories. Hours before Bowers darted in the synagogue, his post stated, “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” A once sacred place was now in shambles. Charged with 29 criminal counts, Bowers also faced state charges.

The night of the shooting, the affected neighbors of the synagogue all gathered together at a vigil as they remembered the lives taken away that day. Residents were told to stay inside their houses while police took over the scene. This shooting also brought up new ideas towards Antisemitism, a problem our world seems to still face today. A massacre like this affected the Jewish area in Pennsylvania surrounding the synagogue, home to many Jews, who, like my mom Carol Pidto, will also say, “‘It’s horrific, who would’ve thought people going to pray would end up dead. It’s a safe place, now violated forever. Something must change.  This cannot be real.’” The impact on politics also comes up here, leading to an “unease over increasingly hostile political rhetoric”, as critics of President Trump have argued he is partly to blame. A shooting like this leaves us loving our close ones even more than we did yesterday. A shooting like this forces us to be aware of our surroundings. A shooting like this leaves us all worried for what is to come.