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Initial Statement on the Pittsburgh Shootings

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We are shocked and horrified by the shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh. Our hearts, support and condolences go out to the community members of the Tree Of Life - Or L’Simcha Congregation, to the community members of our affiliated congregation, Congregation Dor Hadash, who were meeting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and to the people of Pittsburgh.

People should be free from fear everywhere, but especially in sacred places of worship and communal gatherings. Crimes such as these strike at the very fabric of our society and leave all of us feeling more vulnerable.

Along with everyone else, we wait with sadness for the reports from the authorities who have converged there.

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