PA - 11 killed, 6 injured in mass shooting at Pittsburgh Synagogue, 27 Oct 2018 *guilty, death sentence*

  • #461
Yet one side's rallying point for years is that all Muslims need to have accountability for the radicalization of one of their own by one of their own. Whats the difference here?

Excellent question, @Wagtales10

I’ve been curious as to the answer to that, as well.
 
  • #462
  • #463
A history of antisemitism

The problem is that there is not always someone to blame. Hate is a terrible thing. It is vile, it can spread and it is dangerous. What happened in Pittsburgh, sadly, is no different than what has been happening to Jews for millennia.

Since ancient times, Jews were persecuted, hated and murdered. The antisemitism that spurred pogroms in the Soviet Union, that led to the forced conversions and expulsion of Jews from Spain and saw the rise of the Nazis is the same antisemitism that led Robert Bowers to storm Tree of Life on Saturday and shoot innocent worshipers.

This is the same antisemitism seen in Toulouse, Mumbai, Copenhagen, Brussels, Paris and Kansas City where attacks against Jews have been perpetrated in recent years. As we read every year at the Passover Seder: In every generation our enemies rise up to destroy us.

If Netanyahu and Trump were not close allies, would that mean that antisemitism would disappear? According to Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer, nearly 50% of all hate crimes in the US in 2014 and 2015 targeted Jews – and that was before Trump became president.

There is no question that angry and hateful rhetoric contributes and adds fuel to any existing antisemitic flame. Trump and all other politicians should learn from the Pittsburgh attack, moderate their speech and work to heal instead of divide. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter must do everything possible to block egregious hate speech posts before they can poison minds.

After the Holocaust, many hoped the world had witnessed the end of antisemitism.

As seen in Pittsburgh, it hasn’t.​
 
  • #464
When Abraham Maslow created the "Hierarchy of Needs" which is mentioned in many a psychology text and college course I wonder if he ever considered Safety (second tier from the bottom of the pyramid) to be a physical one first before the spiritual one, in this case, the synagogue.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
 
  • #465
Diversion and distraction, imo. This rhetoric does nobody any good. It’s dangerous, as we’ve seen, imo.

Trump brands media 'true enemy of the people' just days after pipe bomb sent to CNN offices

Donald Trump has once again branded the mainstream media the "enemy of the people", just days after a pipe bomb was sent to CNN's offices and 11 people were shot dead at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.

"There is great anger in our Country caused in part by inaccurate, and even fraudulent, reporting of the news," the US president wrote on Twitter. "The Fake News Media, the true Enemy of the People, must stop the open & obvious hostility & report the news accurately & fairly."​
 
  • #466
Video at link.

These are the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
A primary care physician loved by his community. Two devoted and welcoming brothers. A "vibrant" 97-year-old with "a lot of years left."

All were among the 11 people whose lives abruptly ended on Saturday when a gunman stormed the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh's historic Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
upload_2018-10-30_0-33-18.jpeg
 
  • #467
When Abraham Maslow created the "Hierarchy of Needs" which is mentioned in many a psychology text and college course I wonder if he ever considered Safety (second tier from the bottom of the pyramid) to be a physical one first before the spiritual one, in this case, the synagogue.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

The synagogue considered safety in its design. There was no prior history of threats. It’s a house of worship.

Safety, of course, is a consideration.

Tree of Life has worked with DHS to make it safer. Some escaped because of those efforts. It saved lives. They also have armed guards there for certain holy days.

What additional safety measures do you think will solve the problem of hate crimes? Reasonably, where is the line?

Why would it be the synagogue’s full responsibility to protect itself from being targeted for violent hate crimes?

Why should the innocent victims be in any way to blame for crimes perpetrated against them? They were peaceful elders, no threat to anyone, minding their own business.

They didn’t ask to be attacked. They didn’t court danger. They didn’t deserve it.

Former Synagogue President: Working With DHS on Exit Routes Likely Saved Lives in Shooting
 
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  • #468
At the end of the day, we felt we had no choice but to cancel a Havdalah service at a congregant’s home. It had been announced on a public Facebook page, and we were fearful that Nazi elements might be aware of the event. Again, we sought police protection – not a battalion of police, just a single officer – but we were told simply to cancel the event.

Our grandparents' generation fought and died so fear should not exist these shores. I am sorry Rose and know persons of goodwill understand and despise this situation. We can't let hate and Nazis win, but we can't become radicalized in response. No easy answers, I am afraid.
 
  • #469
What additional safety measures do you think will solve the problem of hate crimes? Reasonably, where is the line?

Why would it be the synagogue’s full responsibility to protect itself from being targeted for violent hate crimes?

No, the synagogue is not responsible for what to happened to it. This is American. We can't live in armed fortresses, gated communities and private meeting centers, while still fostering a vibrant public life. There is an answer, but it is political and outside the scope of the forum.
 
  • #470
Technically, murderer is more of a legal term given to a person convicted of the crime of murder, although there is little doubt that he is guilty since he was caught in the act.
You are right.
 
  • #471
Aren't men who identify as "incel" usually much younger?

Guys like this have a hard time finding girlfriends, regardless of age. I wonder why?
 
  • #472
I know you didn’t ask me, but the source you cited said “some,” not that they “tended to be.” You appear to have misquoted your source, perhaps?

I’m speculating that maybe that was the point. Your assertions seem a little simplistic and overbroad, in my opinion, to be honest.

The person who misquoted me twice said "all"- which I never said. They then went on to misquote me a second time.

Though I can see that tend and some may or may not be synonyms, 'tend' clearly does not mean "all".

I don't know why he misquoted me twice. Perhaps he is being over simplistic as well?
 
  • #473
I believe in the sun
even when it is not shining.
I believe in love,
even when I can not feel it.
I believe in God
even when He is silent.
Written on the wall in a Jewish concentration camp in Germany.
 
  • #474
Muslim Americans raise more than $120,000 for those affected by Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

Tarek El-Messidi, the group’s founding director, says his hope through the fundraiser is "to respond to evil with good.”

"We’re really hoping to help the community that’s suffering," El-Messidi said. “We’re hoping to inspire more interfaith collaboration and peace.”

We just want to know what you need,” Wasi Mohamed, executive director of the Pittsburgh Islamic center, said during a Sunday news conference. “If it’s people outside your next service protecting you, let us know. We’ll be there.”
—-
 
  • #475
  • #476
Jewish girls from a nearby Chabad orthodox school had walked to the Tree of Life Synagogue, prayer books in their hands and blue ribbons tied to their hair and wrists, to sing.

------------------------------------------------------

The façade of the synagogue had been broadcast around the world. Etsy was accustomed to seeing it on a screen, until she and her classmates walked toward it Monday afternoon

“It’s moving right in front of us, and the names of all the people, and you just felt it in the air, it was tangible,” she said a few hours later from a meeting room at her school. Sisters Talia, 14, and Ayala Rosenthal, 17, joined her in an interview with USA TODAY. “I feel like by going back to the place and praying there and singing there, we just showed everyone that, you know, we can and will remain strong.”

-------------------------------------------------

“I don’t want to be hated,” Talia said. She wore blue bows in each of her pony tails and a ribbon around her neck.“I know how it feels to be hated, and I don’t want that for other people.”

But outside her school, symptoms of hatred abounded. Three police SUVs stood sentry near the front entrance as students were dismissed. On a concrete path, someone had written “love and peace to you,” which felt like a plea rather than a guarantee.

‘I don’t want to be hated’: After Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Jewish girls bring song to Squirrel Hill
 
  • #477
So, we're now having to "train" how to react in an active shooter situation. I remember my Mom telling me how they were "trained" to hide under their desks in case of an attack during the cold war. Futile.

Maybe just gives us a false sense of security when something over which we have no control occurs.

IMO, none of those slaughtered this week whilst grocery shopping or attending their place of worship were thinking about how to protect themselves against an active shooter. And why should they?

Our office had active-shooter training this summer. There are things you can do to save yourself (link posted previously in the thread) and I do think about it when I'm out in public. Not so much sitting in my office, but I hate going to movie theaters or crowded places nowadays. I always know where the exits are or a good hiding spot and I stay vigilant. I try not to walk around looking at my phone anymore (for preventing sexual assault and being cognizant of my surroundings in case some sicko with a gun appears). Its terrible that I even feel I have to live like this.

I'm sure elderly folks who have lived almost their entire lives without mass shootings don't think about it as often or at all.
 
  • #478
  • #479
  • #480
I have a problem with the holding of (who) is accountable...

If one chooses hate, who are we in the 1A?

My goodness, I acknowledge both political sides, but damn, the rhetorical is so sad.

The heroic doctors and nurses. What rhetoric do they get?

Oh, hero, you will be a hero for a lifetime....

🤬🤬🤬🤬 that 🤬🤬🤬🤬. Do you think this loss usurps anything?

Ha! I didn't think so,
 

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