The Pittsburgh community was shocked after a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue Oct. 27, left 11 dead and many more grieving.

The synagogue is home to three different congregations of Jewish communities, and each was holding a service that morning. Around 10 a.m., members from all three services heard a loud boom and people ran out to find broken glass and other carnage. The rabbis immediately had their congregants hide behind the heavy wooden pews in their temples and followed training they had received earlier in the year after participating in active shooter drills.

One rabbi was able to call 911 and hide in a bathroom while providing the operator with updates for almost an hour. Likewise, a couple outside of the synagogue called 911 and they were encouraged to get back into their car and keep others away. When police arrived on the scene, they swarmed the building and a stand-off between them and the shooter, Robert Bowers, ensued. SWAT was called in as the confrontation continued.

Together, SWAT and the police were able to find the shooter barricaded on the third floor of the synagogue, and after a few rounds were exchanged, the shooter gave up his name and his birthday. Shortly after this, he surrendered and was taken into custody. The stand-off lasted about an hour before the shooter was apprehended.

The shooter is a former Baldwin Township truck driver known by his online persona @onedingo and known for his anti-Semitic remarks online. Minutes before going to the synagogue with a semi-automatic rifle and three handguns, he posted the following message: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”

This tragic event is an addition to the growing list of mass shootings in the United States. According to the FBI, hate crimes reported with a racial or ethnic bias have jumped since the 2016 Presidential election. Additionally, hate crimes tend to spike during election years, making both 2016 and 2018 more likely to be volatile.

The community response to this tragedy has been hopeful, however. The Pittsburgh Foundation has raised $556,000 in the crowdfunding event #LoveIsStronger to benefit victims and others affected by the shooting.

Various faith communities across the country have come together to support the Jewish community in Pittsburgh and around the United States.

Expert Corner written by: Jonathan Rudy, Peacemaker in Residence

Peacemaker in Residence Jonathan Rudy described the idea of “othering,” which happens when an individual does not see the connection between themselves and others. People with this mindset view themselves as non-human and feel that they do not have to show respect to others. He explained that the shooter, Robert Bowers, had built up this sense of “othering” on a personal level.

“[These are] individuals whose disconnected relationship with other humans somehow justifies the killing,” Rudy said.

On a cultural level, Rudy said that we have a president who does not seem concerned with “othering” himself and that he has allowed the ugliness in our country to rise. He also said that we as a society have a history of forgetting our connectedness.

“We live in a culture soaked in ‘othering,’” Rudy said. “White men are the terrorists here.”

Rudy said that these hate crimes are a violent form of “othering” perpetrated by the people who carry them out. He believes that the worldview of many people is too small and that we cannot survive while thinking so small. Rudy believes it is a tragedy when people close their thinking too much. He also explained that we need diversity to get the best solutions to problems and by bringing in this diversity, we get everyone’s best thinking.

“We have a disease, and the larger community rushes in with antibodies to provide healing,” Rudy said about the response from the Pittsburgh community. “I long for a world where no one has to face this stuff ever again.”

According to Rudy, social media heightened everything in this case. Reinforcement from people online when someone posts something hateful on the Internet emboldens the perpetrator to follow through with committing these heinous acts against their fellow man.

Rudy encourages people to reframe their worldview from divided to balanced by “[naming] the now with nonjudgmental observation.” He said we have a choice to focus on either the evil act or the community outreach. He stated we need positive energy and since people project fear, send love instead.

“So do we send fear or love? We have enough fear in the world, so send love,” Rudy said.