U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, released statements on Sunday marking the sixth anniversary since 11 Jewish worshippers were killed at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh.
“Six years ago, as congregants prayed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on a quiet Shabbat morning, a gunman armed with an AR-15, multiple handguns, and hate in his heart opened fire and killed 11 Jewish worshippers and wounded six more, in the deadliest act of antisemitism in our history,” Biden stated. “It shattered families, pierced the heart of the Jewish community and struck the soul of our nation.”
In his nearly 550-word statement, in which he capitalized “antisemitism” and “antisemitic” throughout, Biden stated that the Jewish community in Pittsburgh has “shown the country how to courageously turn pain into purpose.”
“They have launched a global initiative to counter hate and hate-fueled violence,” he stated. “This summer, at the site of the synagogue, the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of antisemitism in America broke ground. It is a symbol of the enduring spirit of Jewish resilience despite centuries of suffering, persecution and pain.”
The president also noted that the anniversary of the shooting falls this year close, on the Jewish calendar, to the anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“One year later, the trauma and losses from that day and its aftermath are not only raw but exacerbated by the appalling surge of antisemitism against Jews in America and around the world,” Biden said.
The president touted many of what he said were his administration’s achievements on combating Jew-hatred and on gun control.
“There is more to do, but my administration will continue to condemn and combat antisemitism at every turn,” Biden said.
“As the Talmud says, ‘It is not your duty to finish the work but neither are you at liberty to neglect it,’” he added, quoting from the Mishnah in Avot. “On this solemn day of remembrance for the attack in the Tree of Life Synagogue, let us come together as Americans to ensure antisemitism and hate in all its forms have no safe harbor in America—for all the lives we have lost and all those we can still save.”
In her statement, which ran nearly 450 words, Harris also touted the administration’s record on gun control and responding to Jew-hatred.
The vice president referred to a “white supremacist” using “a weapon of war to murder 11 precious souls and wound many more at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.”
“This unspeakable act—fueled by antisemitic hate—was the deadliest attack on the American Jewish community in our nation’s history,” she stated. “As we remember the victims of this horrific mass shooting, we also honor the courage of the first responders, some of whom were injured during this attack, and commemorate the resilience of the Pittsburgh community.”
“This summer, ground was broken on the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of antisemitism in America at the site of the synagogue, a symbol of this enduring strength,” she said. “I will always work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people in the United States and around the world and will always call out antisemitism whenever and wherever we see it.”
“This work is not new for me,” she added. “I have spent my entire career fighting antisemitism.”
