A gunman opened fire during a baby-naming ceremony at a Pittsburgh synagogue Saturday, killing 11 people and hurting six others.
Jewish communities around the world are mourning the lives lost.
“We know there is a terrible, terrible tragedy –- a disgusting act of anti-Semitism,” said Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver.
“Right now they need our support, from afar but still, it’s meaningful for people in Pittsburgh to know that people in Vancouver in this Jewish community, and the greater community, that we care for them, we love them and we’re feeling the pain along with them.”
As reactions pour in, some in the Vancouver Jewish community are unaware of the shooting because of Shabbat.
Observers are encouraged to rest and normally would not use their phones or watch the news.
Shabbat will end sundown Saturday.
However, local synagogues are taking extra steps to secure their places of worship.
CTV News visited three of them in Vancouver and found they had at least one security guard outside before and after morning service; one synagogue also had a bomb-sniffing dog.
Shanken said synagogues have security teams to promptly respond in case there’s a threat.
“[The security team] evolved their posture to respond to it. The VPD has been incredibly helpful in stepping up patrols around our synagogues and our buildings around the community. We’re so grateful to them for doing that and understanding our needs,” he said.
Pittsburgh police arrested suspect Robert Bowers, who isn’t known to them and is believed to have acted alone.
Canadians’ hearts are with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh today, as they endured a horrific anti-Semitic attack while at prayer. May the families of those murdered be comforted, and may the injured recover quickly and fully.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 27, 2018
British Columbians’ hearts are broken hearing the devastating news of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. Everyone should feel safe in a place of worship.
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) October 27, 2018
"It is a very horrific crime scene. It's one of the worst that I've seen and I've been on some plane crashes," said Wendell Hissrich, the Pittsburgh public safety director.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said the group believes it is the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.
"Our hearts break for the families of those killed and injured at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and for the entire Jewish community of Pittsburgh," Greenblatt said.
Pittsburgh officials are investigating the shooting as a federal hate crime. Bowers’ full motive is not yet known.
With files from CTV Vancouver’s Breanna Karsten-Smith and The Associated Press
