Never had I experienced a morning like that of Saturday, October 27. Like many of us, I was at synagogue that Shabbat morning, but my arrival home was not per the usual. I vividly remember my mom saying “There was a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh this morning.” As soon as these words left her mouth, many questions automatically struck me: “Where was this specifically?”, “Was it an ISIS attack?”, “Whose lives were lost?”, “How many lives were lost?”, and so many more. I had just gone to synagogue, just like those people in Pittsburgh, for the same purpose. I felt the obligation to notify and inform the security officers at KJ about what would unfold to become the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in America, but when I got there, they were already told about the situation and were adjusting accordingly.

After hearing the victims of this terrorist attack and their age, contributions to the community, and impact each had on individuals, I was in pain for the families who lost their loved ones and all I wanted to do was comfort them. Since it was Shabbat, the families of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh were unaware of this chaotic disaster that had just took place in their own community. Squirrel Hill, one of the safest communities in Pennsylvania- with a strong Jewish community to boot- never imagined something like this would occur. They must have thought family members went to people’s houses unplanned or chose to stay at the Tree of Life Synagogue to socialize.

As a Jewish girl in Manhattan, I knew that just as the Pittsburgh shooting happened at a synagogue, it could happen as easily in school or at any other Jewish establishment. I was relieved to see the response of New York State implementing NYPD members throughout Jewish institution and a Cambridge Security officer outside the building of the Upper School.

As big of a disaster this may have been, with the news of this event hitting the whole world, I was grateful for the solidarity all over. Different faiths held memorial services, and synagogues opened their doors to non-Jews. The day right after the shooting, I attended a vigil at Temple Emanuel in memory of the innocent souls that were lost in Pittsburgh. There were police, Jewish people and people of many faiths all in one area there for the same reason— to show their support. Even Mayor de Blasio attended.

As a result of what had occurred in Pittsburgh, the idea of “Stand Up for Shabbat” began. This was the notion that exactly a week after the shooting, people of any faith would go to Synagogue to show their support for the community for Pittsburgh and to honor the lives that were lost. These words were posted on many social media platforms such as twitter and instagram. Park Avenue Synagogue was full on both levels of the sanctuary.

I now more than ever appreciate everything and continue to value my family. For the Jewish Community, this incident shows we must stand strong and stand up to the acts of antisemitism. We must continue to live our lives as proud Jews, because that is who we are.