On October 29th in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, a gunman ruthlessly murdered 11 innocent victims, and injured 7 more. The shooting took place during a regular Shabbat morning service at Tree of Life, a conservative Jewish synagogue. The gunman allegedly shouted anti-Semitic remarks prior to opening fire on the unsuspecting victims, aged 54-97. This was the deadliest attack against Jews in United States history. A Holocaust survivor that just narrowly escaped death at Bergen-Belson’s concentration camp was just four minutes late to the service. Because of this delay, he survived yet a second time. America is supposed to be a safe-haven, and recently, it has felt like a warzone.
Just 9 days later, another shooting occurred at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks. This time, 12 people including several college students had their lives taken away from them. As people danced and conversed with friends during the bar’s “country college night,” they heard noises that sounded like fireworks, or sound effects from the loud music. Quickly, patrons understood the horrifying reality of the situation. While some took cover or escaped, others were not so lucky. These young people had promising futures ahead of them, all with their own dreams, aspirations, families, and friends.
We cannot change the past. Death is bleakly permanent. These victims will never have the chance to fulfill their lives to the fullest, to reach all their goals, or to see their loved ones again. They also cannot speak up against gun violence. It is simply our duty among the living to fight back and enact real change in gun laws. It is not only the least we can do for the victims, it is the least we can do to save humanity.
- Ron Helus, 54
- Joyce Fienberg, 75
- Cody Coffman, 22
- Richard Gottfried, 65
- Alaina Housley, 18
- Rose Mallinger, 97
- Justin Meek, 23
- Jerry Rabinowitz, 66
- Daniel Manrique, 33
- Cecil Rosenthal, 59
- Noel Sparks, 21
- David Rosenthal, 54
- Jake Dunham, 21
- Bernice Simon, 84
- Sean Adler, 48
- Sylvan Simon, 86
- Blake Dingman, 21
- Daniel Stein, 71
- Kristina Morisette, 20
- Melvin Wax, 87
- Telemachus Orfanos, 27
- Irving Younger, 69
- Marky Meza Jr., 20