Jewish leaders welcome outsiders to Shabbat

In preparation for the first Sabbath following the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, Jewish leaders signaled that they do not plan to close off their communities out of fear.

Instead, many encouraged Jews and non-Jews alike across the country to attend services on Friday night or Saturday, spreading the hashtag #ShowUpForShabbat across social media as an invitation to all. The campaign, started by the American Jewish Committee, is meant to offer a space for people to express grief over the massacre and show solidarity with the victims, said David Harris, chief executive of the organization.

On Oct. 27, a holy day of rest in the Jewish faith, a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs stormed into the Tree of Life synagogue in the Jewish enclave of Squirrel Hill, killing 11 congregants.

“We want to send a powerful message to anti-Semites that Americans are outraged, whether these Americans are Jewish or non-Jewish,” Harris said. “It was not only an assault on the Jewish community, it was an assault on American values.”

Harris said he saw no better place for people to show support for the Jewish community than at a synagogue, a space meant for peace and community that was turned into one of brutal violence in Pittsburgh last week.

Since the shooting, religious people outside the Jewish faith have found other ways to demonstrate their solidarity with Jews. For example, two Muslim organizations have raised more than $200,000 to help victims and their families following the massacre.