A survivor of the devastating Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting in 2018, which resulted in the heinous murder of 11 worshippers, recently shared his perception on the rising hostilities in Israel. Stating that it “feels familiar,” he confessed that the conflagration revived his personal trauma.
Jeffrey Myers, the Rabbi of the Tree of Life Synagogue, located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, has communicated his solidarity with Israel amidst this escalating situation. Through a heartfelt post on the congregation’s website, he poignantly described the past week’s events as “retraumatization.”
Describing the returning impact of his traumatizing experience, Myers penned, “That familiar wrenching pain took reigns of my being again, lodged deep within me. However, this time, I could discern its nature – retraumatization.”
The Rabbi was one of the congregants who narrowly evaded the fatal onslaught by the ruthless shooter, Robert Bowers. In a merciless rampage in 2018, Bowers stormed the synagogue, brandishing three handguns and an AR-15 rifle, leading to the tragic deaths of 11 individuals. In August, a federal jury summoned justice for the lost souls by sentencing Bowers to death.
Narrating the torment of his people over centuries, Myers revealed, “I was fraught with thoughts of our historical persecution, the manhunts and the massacres. I imagined the profound dread my ancestors must have endured in their final moments.”
During an evening rally at Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Center, Myers expressed his unwavering support for Israel, which grapples with the horrifying onslaught initiated by Hamas terrorists on Saturday and which has claimed over 1,200 innocent lives.
Among the crowd, he unexpectedly ran into one of the officers who had responded to the synagogue shooting. “We shared a heartfelt embrace, and I thanked him for his presence, to which he humbly responded, ‘Of course, I would be here.’ His words brought much-needed comfort,” recounted Myers.
In his reflection, Myers found eerie parallels between the horrific synagogue shooting that had occurred nearly half a decade ago, and the present hostilities. The same room that offered them refuge after the 2018 shooting incident was now filled with some familiar but grief-stricken faces.
He candidly disclosed, “At that moment, I was swept with a profound sense of déjà vu. A barrage of words consumed my mind—horror, shock, disbelief, anger, evil, pain.”
In direct reference to the traumatic past, Myers penned, “Before, during, and after the rally, I saw haunting familiarity in every face I encountered. After all, Pittsburgh has lived this nightmare before.”
Myers concluded his poignant narrative by sharing a prayer for the hostages, the bereaved families, and for enduring peace in Israel. “Despite my harrowing experience, I acknowledge that my trauma pales in comparison to what my brothers and sisters in the State of Israel are subjected to,” he wrote.
