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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Why did the gunman who killed 11 Jewish people in a Pennsylvanian synagogue choose to attack that specific congregation? The gunman made several social media postings before opening fire on the crowd with an AR-15 assault weapon and three Glock .357 pistols. Identified by law enforcement as Robert D. Bowers, his posts attacked the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, an organization that provides assistance to Jewish refugees.

Looking at those social media postings, it is not hard to conclude that the shooter was motivated by both anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant hatred.

After his arrest, Bowers told a SWAT officer that he wanted all Jews to die and, according to the police criminal complaint, that “the (Jews) were committing genocide to (his) people.” Given the nature of those comments, it comes as no surprise that he had previously taken to social media to spout more ethnic hatred.

Bowers used Gab.com, a far-right social networking site, to make multiple posts blaming Jewish people for helping transport Central American migrants in caravans moving through southern Mexico toward the U.S. Just before he entered the synagogue and began shooting, he posted: “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.” Another time he posted “Why hello there HIAS! You like to bring in hostile invaders to dwell among us?” Another post likely referencing the society read: “Open your (sic) eyes! It’s the filthy EVIL jews Bringing the Filthy EVIL Muslims into the Country!!”

He posted still more times to tell Jewish people to get out or leave, according to CNN. Just a few weeks before the attack, Bowers posted a webpage from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society that listed the addresses of Shabbat services being held on behalf of refugees, one of which was less than a mile away from the Tree of Life synagogue, where Bowers opened fire. Given what the group does, it is difficult to rationalize Bowers’ hatred for its supporters.

The group is committed to helping people from all over the world: those who are displaced, forgotten or in search of a better life and economic opportunity. The nonprofit has been at the forefront of human rights issues since it was founded in 1881. HIAS was the first non-queer group to advocate for a simpler method for LGBTQ+ Russians to gain U.S. visas. Today, it processes paperwork for those individuals seeking asylum throughout the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. It is a helping hand that spans borders and cultures.

If Bowers had done even an ounce of open-minded searching, he would have found that neither HIAS, nor immigrants nor Jewish people are the cause of America’s problems. Hate blinded him to that obvious conclusion.

In light of the tragedy in Squirrel Hill, we must reconsider how we can fight hate and how we can prevent more of these tragedies. The problem is compounded by the normalization of hateful rhetoric. Vitriol and toxicity are part and parcel of public discourse. Politicians fuel the fire rather than extinguish it — the tug-of-war between left and right has made a chasm that stretches far down into the depths of hatred and frames the choice on immigration as one between welcoming lawless invaders and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One can understand how the hateful and misguided like Bowers would draw the wrong conclusion.

Politics aside, the only way to fight hatred is with empathy and generosity. On a Muslim crowdsourcing site, two Muslim groups Celebrate Mercy and MPower Change have already raised $80,000 for victims of the shooting. These acts can inoculate our culture against hatred. Bowers had likely never been exposed to such an open-hearted display of generosity from one religious group to the next. He was convinced that these groups hated him as much as he hated them. To help heal the break between political extremes, we must learn from HIAS’ initiative and lend a helping hand to everyone in need.

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