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‘Struck Soul of Our Nation’: Biden, Harris Mark Six-Years Since Tree of Life Shooting
The facade of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Nov. 3, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Alan Freed
JNS.org – US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, released statements on Sunday marking the six-year anniversary since 11 Jewish worshipers were killed at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh.
“Six years ago, as congregants prayed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on a quiet Shabbat morning, a gunman armed with an AR-15, multiple handguns and hate in his heart opened fire and killed 11 Jewish worshipers and wounded six more, in the deadliest act of antisemitism in our history,” Biden stated. “It shattered families, pierced the heart of the Jewish community and struck the soul of our nation.”
In his nearly 550-word statement, in which he capitalized “antisemitism” and “antisemitic” throughout, Biden stated that the Jewish community in Pittsburgh has “shown the country how to courageously turn pain into purpose.”
“They have launched a global initiative to counter hate and hate-fueled violence,” he stated. “This summer, at the site of the synagogue, the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of antisemitism in America broke ground. It is a symbol of the enduring spirit of Jewish resilience despite centuries of suffering, persecution and pain.”
The president also noted that the anniversary of the shooting falls this year close, on the Jewish calendar, to the anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in southern Israel.
“One year later, the trauma and losses from that day and its aftermath are not only raw, but exacerbated by the appalling surge of antisemitism against Jews in America and around the world,” Biden said.
The president touted many of what he said were his administration’s achievements on combating Jew-hatred and on gun control.
“There is more to do, but my administration will continue to condemn and combat antisemitism at every turn,” Biden said.
“As the Talmud says, ‘It is not your duty to finish the work but neither are you at liberty to neglect it,’” he added, quoting from the Mishnah in Avot. “On this solemn day of remembrance for the attack in the Tree of Life Synagogue, let us come together as Americans to ensure antisemitism and hate in all its forms have no safe harbor in America—for all the lives we have lost and all those we can still save.”
In her statement—which ran nearly 450 words—Harris also touted the administration’s record on responding to Jew-hatred and on gun control.
The vice president referred to a “white supremacist” using “a weapon of war to murder 11 precious souls and wound many more at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.”
“This unspeakable act—fueled by antisemitic hate—was the deadliest attack on the American Jewish community in our nation’s history,” she stated. “As we remember the victims of this horrific mass shooting, we also honor the courage of the first responders, some of whom were injured during this attack, and commemorate the resilience of the Pittsburgh community.”
“This summer, ground was broken on the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of antisemitism in America at the site of the synagogue, a symbol of this enduring strength,” she said. “I will always work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people in the United States and around the world and will always call out antisemitism whenever and wherever we see it.”
“This work is not new for me,” she added. “I have spent my entire career fighting antisemitism.”
The post ‘Struck Soul of Our Nation’: Biden, Harris Mark Six-Years Since Tree of Life Shooting first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.