The Pittsburgh synagogue where a gunman opened fire and killed 11 people Saturday is in Mister Rogers’ former neighborhood, CNN reports.
Fred Rogers, the host of the popular show, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” lived in Squirrel Hill, three blocks from the Tree of Life Congregation where Robert Bowers opened fire during a baby-naming service, killing 11 and wounding six.
Bowers burst into Tree of Life Saturday morning and fired inside while expressing his hatred toward Jewish people, according to a document made public Sunday. He told officers Jews “were committing genocide to my people” and that he just wanted “to kill” them.
Bowers was charged with 29 federal counts, including 11 counts of obstructing the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, targeted the synagogue
The neighborhood, per USAToday, is central for Jewish life in Pittsburgh. It's also the site of a film being made about Rogers, with Tom Hanks playing the infamous puppeteer.
"It's a high concentration of the Jewish community," said Jeff Finkelstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. It makes it very special, actually."
Chuck Diamond, a former rabbi at Tree of Life, called the community “vibrant and active.”
"I think we all get together across the board, whether it's Orthodox or Hasidic or Conservative or Reform and we have wonderful Jewish communal organizations," said Diamond, who still lives in Squirrel Hill. "So it's very vibrant and very active."
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