Massacre in Pittsburgh resonates in the Valley

There are ties that have long bound the Mahoning Valley to the city of Pittsburgh, which is why Saturday’s massacre of worshippers in a synagogue is all the more shocking and saddening to us.

The cold-blooded shooting of 11 congregants of the Tree of Life Congregation in Squirrel Hill, an upscale section of the city, by a lone terrorist personifies the evil spreading through America.

That the blood of the innocent should be spilled in a House of God speaks to the soulless nature of this hate crime. Sadly, the Tree of Life Congregation isn’t the first place of worship that has been targeted by a killer – and it won’t be the last.

What is even more troubling is that the shooter, Robert Gregory Bowers, expressed hatred of Jews during the rampage and told officers afterward Jews were committing genocide, the Associated Press reported. He made it clear he wanted all Jews to die.

Hatred on the basis of race, color and creed isn’t new in this country. From the Civil War to the civil-rights movement, the battles to end man’s inhumanity to man has been our honorable goal.

But in recent years, hatred of individuals who are different has become the calling card of those bent on causing death and spreading fear.

Pope Francis, who led prayers for Pittsburgh on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, spoke for all decent, God-fearing, law-abiding human beings when he said, “In reality, all of us are wounded by the inhumane act of violence.” The pope prayed for God “to help us to extinguish the flames of hatred that develop in our societies, reinforcing the sense of humanity, respect for life and civil and moral values.”

Stephen Cohen, co-president of New Light Congregation, which rents space at Tree of Life, referred to the current political and social climate that’s fueling the flames of hatred.

“When you spew hate speech, people act on it. Very simple. And this is the result. A lot of people dead. Senselessly.”

SUSPECT’S ANTI-SEMITIC VIEWS

Little was known about Bowers, who had no apparent criminal record but who is believed to have expressed virulently anti-Semitic views on social media.

By contrast, the 11 worshippers he killed and the six he injured, including four police officers, were decent, honest, caring men and women who strove to live by the Golden Rule.

It is inconceivable that their lives should have been at the mercy of someone who does not deserve to be called a human being.

Bowers is a terrorist of the worst kind: He’s a coward. When confronted, he attempted to hide, rather than give up his life for his perverted views.

Nothing less than the full weight of the law, including the death penalty, should be brought to bear on this despicable individual. He went on a killing spree of innocent worshippers who had every right to sanctuary in a House of God.

But as other recent attacks on places of worship have shown, there’s nothing sacred in America today. Consider:

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Nine parishioners, all African-American, were shot by a young white man who entered their Charleston, S.C., church, joined their Bible study for an hour and then opened fire. The shooter targeted his victims because of their skin color.

Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tenn., near Nashville. A gunman shot and killed a congregant named Melanie Crow Smith, who was walking back to her car. The gunman then entered the church with a pair of pistols and started firing. Almost 50 people were inside; the gunman wounded six.

Mater Misericordiae (Mother of Mercy) Mission Catholic Church in Phoenix. A priest was killed during a service.

Tabernacle of Praise Worship Center in Lake Charles, La. The pastor was shot and killed as the choir sang hymns.

Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. A gunman killed six worshippers and wounded four.

In 2014, a gunman killed three in two separate shootings at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and Village Shalom in Overland, Kansas.

Residents of the Mahoning Valley who have been spared the pain, terror and fear that such incidents bring are today sharing in the grief and shock of our neighbors just an hour’s drive away.