Hoyer Statement Marking Five Years Since the Shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) issued the following statement marking five years since the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA:
“Five years ago today, the devastating mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was a somber reminder of how much further America must go to end the cancer that is antisemitism. The attack was a manifestation of the hate, violence, and prejudice that Jews have endured for millennia. The pain of losing those eleven innocent American Jews that day will never fade. We pray for them. We pray for their families, friends, and loved ones. We pray for a safer, more inclusive America.
“We observe this tragic anniversary amid another traumatic time for Jews in America and around the world. The Anti-Defamation League reports that the rate of antisemitic incidents in America has increased by 388 percent in the weeks since Hamas terrorists launched their brutal attack on Israeli civilians. From college campuses to social media sites online, places of work to places of worship, Jews have faced tremendous bigotry, prejudice, and threats during this dark hour. This rampant antisemitism endangers not only their safety but our entire democracy. We have a duty to reassure Jews that their lives have value and to call out antisemitism whenever and wherever it rears its vile head.
“I praise President Biden for expressing a profound message of solidarity to the Jewish community throughout these past few weeks and throughout his administration. Under his leadership, we successfully established the first U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism to help ensure that tragedies like the one that befell the community at Tree of Life never occur again. As someone who has deep ties to the people of Israel and to Jews in my district and around the world, I am committed to doing everything possible to end antisemitism once and for all. May the memory of those we lost five years ago guide us in that noble mission. May their memory be a blessing.”