Antisemitic graffiti on the anniversary of the Tree of Life massacre
Salena Zito
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PITTSBURGH — The Squirrel Hill community woke up Thursday morning, the day before the city was set to mark the fifth anniversary of the violent rampage at the Tree of Life synagogue in which 11 congregants were shot to death, to pro-Palestine graffiti scrawled across the front of Allderdice High School in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood.
Nearby, a “We Stand With Israel” sign had “GAZA” spray-painted over the word Israel.
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It was a clear message of intimidation targeting the Jewish students and families that attend the school and live in the neighborhood where five years earlier, a madman took the lives of Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil and David Rosenthal, Bernice and Sylvana Simon, Dan Stein, Mel Wax, and Irving Younger.
The “Free Palestine” graffiti happened during additional heightened tensions in Jewish communities across the country following the Oct. 7
terrorist attack in Israel that saw Hamas, the Iran-backed terror group that controls Gaza, launch an unprovoked and violent surprise attack on Israel, killing thousands, including Americans, and taking over 200 people hostage.
Rich Fitzgerald, who has lived in Squirrel Hill for more than 40 years, including several years living directly across the street from Allderdice, said this kind of intimidation on a school perceived to have a substantial amount of Jewish students, in a Jewish neighborhood, is abhorrent.
“The day before the fifth anniversary of the deadliest antisemitic attack in this country’s history, it is beyond the pale that this type of thing would happen in this neighborhood,” he said.
Fitzgerald, who said several of his children and his wife attended Allderdice, said his family has a long commitment to the community: “On Friday, we will be attending a vigil here with family members of the deceased from the Oct. 27, 2018, attacks just blocks from this high school on innocent people who were targeted because of their faith.”
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), a Scranton Democrat, said in a response to this reporting that he called the principal of Allderdice and the rabbi from the Tree of Life over the incident.
“I just got off the phone with Dr. McCoy of Allderdice High School and Rabbi Myers from the Tree of Life to check in an offer my support. This is a painful week for the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and the entire Jewish community in Pittsburgh. I stand with them, now and always,” he said in a post.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), a Democrat from nearby Braddock, in response to my X (formerly Twitter) post, posted a photo showing all of the unaccounted kidnapped victims from the Oct. 7 attack with the American flag in the foreground. He said of the graffiti, “This is reprehensible. The only thing that belongs on a wall right now is this,” showing the flag and kidnap victims.
David McCormick, the Republican businessman seeking the office held by Casey, also condemned it, saying, “This is an affront to the Pittsburgh Jewish community, which has already gone through too much. I am proud to stand with Israel and against this type of antisemitic hate.”
Tensions in Jewish communities across the country, as well as for Jewish students at universities across the country, have been fraught with fear and violence. Last evening, Jewish students at the Cooper Union were locked inside the library after telling security staff that about 20 protesters made them feel unsafe.
The protesters banged on the door of the room the students were locked into while the protesters chanted, “Long live the intifada.” The word “intifada” means “uprising” or “rebellion” and usually refers to violent attacks against Jews.
Since the Oct. 7
attack, universities nationwide have seen escalated hate directed at Jewish students. “Free Palestine” was scrawled on the exterior of a Jewish fraternity house next to the image of a menorah at Georgia Tech last weekend. At Cornell, a university professor there said while he hates violence, he did feel “exhilarated” after Hamas militants from Gaza attacked Israel.
All of these incidents, along with hundreds more, have raised new alarms about intimidation and antisemitism on campuses across the country as well as in Jewish communities.
Fitzgerald, the outgoing Allegheny County executive and Democrat, said there is no room for this type of intimidation here or anywhere, “and that is what it is: intimidation. Whoever did this is trying to stoke fear in the community, and that is unacceptable.”