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Authorities identify all 11 victims killed in Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting

11 DEAD IN SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING

Authorities identify all 11 victims killed in Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting

11 DEAD IN SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING

WEBVTT AS MY OFFICE DURING TO PROCESS. I WILL GIVE YOU THE NAMES OF THE VICTIMS NOW. THESE WILL BE AVAILABLE TO YOU AFTERWARDS. 75-YEAR-OLD JOYCE FEINBERG, 65-YEAR-OLD RICHARD GOTTFRIED, 97-YEAR-OLD ROSE BALLINGER, 66-YEAR-OLD JERRY RUBINO. 69-YEAR-OLD CECIL ROSENTHAL, 54-YEAR-OLD DAVID ROSENTHAL DAVID AND CECIL WERE BROTHERS. 84-YEAR-OLD BERNICE SIMON, 86-YEAR-OLD SILVA SIMON, BERNICE N SILVA WERE HUSBAND AND WIFE. 71-YEAR-OLD DANIEL STEIN, 88-YEAR-OLD MELVIN WAX, AND 61-YEAR-OLD URBAN JUNG. WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS IN A WAY THAT HONORS BOTH CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS LAW. THE CAUSE AND MANNER WILL BE RELEASED TO THE IMMEDIATE AS DETERMINED. IT IS NOT ESTABLISHED A TIMEFRAME FOR THIS. ONLY IN THE INITIAL PROCESS. FINALLY, IN TALKING WITH THE FAMILIES OF LAST NIGHT, THEY ARE IN SHOCK AND GRIEVING AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. MY COLLEAGUES AND I ASK YOU TO PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF THE NEEDS OF THE TIME AND TRAGEDY. IN THE COMING WEEKS THEY WILL NEED TO K
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Authorities identify all 11 victims killed in Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting

11 DEAD IN SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING

Names of all 11 people killed in the Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting were released Sunday, as authorities announced updates on the investigation at a news conference. (Scroll down for full list.)The mass shooting at Tree of Life Congregation on Wilkins Avenue also left six people injured, including four police officers.Those killed ranged in age from 54 to 97, including a married couple in their 80s and two brothers. Mayor Bill Peduto called it the "darkest day of Pittsburgh's history."Here is the list of victims, as provided by the Allegheny County medical examiner.- Joyce Fienberg, 75, of Oakland- Richard Gottfried, 65, of Ross Township- Rose Mallinger, 97, of Squirrel Hill- Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, of Edgewood- Cecil Rosenthal, 59, of Squirrel Hill, and his brother, David Rosenthal, 54- Bernice Simon, 84, of Wilkinsburg, and her husband, Sylvan Simon, 86- Daniel Stein, 71, of Squirrel Hill- Melvin Wax, 87, of Squirrel Hill- Irving Younger, 69, of Mount WashingtonWatch the full news conference below:WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz was "one of the kindest physicians and human beings in our community," UPMC tweeted.Law Claus, a former Allegheny County deputy district attorney, described Rabinowitz as "more than just a physician for me and my family; for over three decades he was truly a trusted confidant and healer who could always be counted upon to provide sage advice whenever he was consulted on medical matters, usually providing that advice with a touch of genuine humor. He had a truly uplifting demeanor, and as a practicing physician he was among the very best."___Daniel Stein was a visible member of the city's Jewish community as a leader in the New Light Congregation. The co-president of the area's Hadassah chapter, Nancy Shuman, says Judaism was very important to Stein, whose wife, Sharyn, is the chapter's membership vice president.Shuman says, "Both of them were very passionate about the community and Israel."Stein's nephew Steven Halle told the Tribune-Review that his uncle "was always willing to help anybody." Halle says Stein "was somebody that everybody liked."___Joyce Fienberg and her late husband, Stephen, were intellectual powerhouses, but those who knew them say they were the kind of people who used that intellect to help others.Fienberg spent most of her career at the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center. She retired in 2008 from her job as a researcher looking at learning in the classroom and in museums. She worked on several projects, including studying the practices of highly effective teachers.Dr. Gaea Leinhardt, who was Fienberg's research partner for decades, says, "Joyce was a magnificent, generous, caring, and profoundly thoughtful human being."___Cecil Rosenthal and David Rosenthal: 'Sweet, gentle, caring men'The Rosenthal brothers went through life together with help from a disability-services organization. And an important part of the brothers' lives was the Tree of Life synagogue, where they never missed a Saturday's services, people who knew them say."If they were here, they would tell you that is where they were supposed to be," Chris Schopf, a vice president of the organization ACHIEVA, said in a statement."They really found a home at the synagogue, and people reciprocated," he said."Together, they looked out for each other," she said. "Most of all, they were kind, good people with a strong faith and respect for everyone around."The two left an impression on state Rep. David Frankel, who sometimes attends services at Tree of Life and whose chief of staff is the Rosenthals' sister."They were very sweet, gentle, caring men," Frankel said. "... I know that this community will really mourn their loss because they were such special people."___Bernice and Sylvan Simon"Anything that they could do, and they did it as a team," neighbor Jo Stepaniak said about the Wilkinsburg couple.Sylvan, 86, was a retired accountant with a good sense of humor -- the kind of person his former rabbi, Alvin Berkun, felt comfortable joking with after Sylvan broke his arm a couple of weeks ago.Bernice, 84, a former nurse, loved classical music and devoted time to charitable work, according to Stepaniak and neighbor Inez Miller."(They) were very devoted, an active, steady presence," said Berkun, the rabbi emeritus at Tree of Life synagogue."Bernice and Sylvan were very good, good-hearted, upstanding, honest, gracious, generous people. They were very dignified and compassionate," Stepaniak said, her voice breaking. "Best neighbors that you could ask for."___Melvin Wax was remembered as "a sweet, sweet guy" by fellow members of New Light Congregation, which rented space in Tree of Life Synagogue. The retired accountant was said to be unfailingly generous and a pillar of the congregation, filling just about every role except cantor."He was such a kind, kind person," said Myron Snider, chairman of the congregation's cemetery committee. "When my daughters were younger, they would go to him, and he would help them with their federal income tax every year. Never charged them."He and I used to, at the end of services, try to tell a joke or two to each other. Most of the time they were clean jokes. Most of the time. I won't say all the time. But most of the time."___Dr. Richard Gottfried was "a good and holy man" who "wore his devout faith like a badge of honor," said a friend, Richard DeFilippo."His compassion for his fellow man was well known, not only as a volunteer at Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center but as a compassionate dentist at Squirrel Hill Health Care Center, where he and his wife Margaret served the immigrant and underserved population of the Pittsburgh area," DeFilippo said. "He served our Heavenly Father (El Shaddai. El Elyon) in many ways, not the least of these was by serving his fellow man by providing access to care to those who oftentimes fall through the cracks of traditional health care services."DeFilippo said that Gottfried's "awesome life" was cut short in the shooting, and that he will be missed "more than words can say."___Rose Mallinger was a native of Squirrel Hill. She served as secretary in her school's office. Mallinger regularly attended the synagogue and always offered friendly greetings.The oldest of those killed, Brian Schreiber told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he regularly saw the 97-year-old Mallinger at services."Rose was really a fixture of the congregation," Schreiber, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh, told the Post-Gazette.Mallinger's 61-year-old daughter was among the wounded, a family member said.___Irving Younger was a native of Pittsburgh's Mount Washington area, where a neighbor remembered him as "a really nice guy."The one-time real estate company owner "talked about his daughter and his grandson, always, and he never had an unkind word to say about anybody," neighbor Tina Prizner told the Tribune-Review.Beth Markovic, owner of Murray Avenue Kosher grocery and deli, said Younger was a dedicated customer who was especially fond of her meatloaf and chicken salad and asked her to alert him when she was making it."So every time I make those things, I will certainly be thinking of him," Markovic said. "I have his phone number right in front of me where I do my work. . So, we feel it. We feel it very much."THE PATIENTSUPMC on Sunday said it was still treating four patients: a 40-year-old male police officer in critical condition, a 61-year-old woman in stable condition, a 70-year-old man in critical condition and a 55-year-old man in stable condition."Squirrel Hill is the most diverse neighborhood in all of Western Pennsylvania. People choose to live there because of the diversity of the community," Mayor Bill Peduto said. "The Jewish community is the backbone. It is part of the fabric of Pittsburgh. And we will be there -- in all communities -- to support our friends in the Jewish community."We have been knocked down before, and have always been able to stand back up because we worked together."THE SUSPECTRobert Bowers, 46, of Baldwin, is charged with federal murder and hate crime counts, along with state charges. Authorities said he killed the eight men and three women during worship services Saturday before a SWAT team shot and took him into custody.FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones commended police officers for their bravery in entering the synagogue and subduing Bowers, saying that there was "a strong possibility of additional violence" had the gunman been able to leave the building.Bowers is scheduled for his first court appearance Monday, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said."The distinction between a hate and domestic terrorism is, hate crime is where an individual is animated by a hatred or certain animus toward a person of a certain ethnicity or religious faith, and if it becomes domestic terrorism where there is an ideology that that person is then also trying to propagate through violence, so we continue to see where that line is, but for now, at this place in our investigation, we're treating it as a hate crime and charge it as such," Brady said.

Names of all 11 people killed in the Squirrel Hill synagogue shooting were released Sunday, as authorities announced updates on the investigation at a news conference. (Scroll down for full list.)

The mass shooting at Tree of Life Congregation on Wilkins Avenue also left six people injured, including four police officers.

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Those killed ranged in age from 54 to 97, including a married couple in their 80s and two brothers. Mayor Bill Peduto called it the "darkest day of Pittsburgh's history."

Here is the list of victims, as provided by the Allegheny County medical examiner.

- Joyce Fienberg, 75, of Oakland

- Richard Gottfried, 65, of Ross Township

- Rose Mallinger, 97, of Squirrel Hill

- Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, of Edgewood

- Cecil Rosenthal, 59, of Squirrel Hill, and his brother, David Rosenthal, 54

- Bernice Simon, 84, of Wilkinsburg, and her husband, Sylvan Simon, 86

- Daniel Stein, 71, of Squirrel Hill

- Melvin Wax, 87, of Squirrel Hill

- Irving Younger, 69, of Mount Washington

Watch the full news conference below:

WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?

Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz was "one of the kindest physicians and human beings in our community," UPMC tweeted.

Law Claus, a former Allegheny County deputy district attorney, described Rabinowitz as "more than just a physician for me and my family; for over three decades he was truly a trusted confidant and healer who could always be counted upon to provide sage advice whenever he was consulted on medical matters, usually providing that advice with a touch of genuine humor. He had a truly uplifting demeanor, and as a practicing physician he was among the very best."

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___

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Daniel Stein was a visible member of the city's Jewish community as a leader in the New Light Congregation. The co-president of the area's Hadassah chapter, Nancy Shuman, says Judaism was very important to Stein, whose wife, Sharyn, is the chapter's membership vice president.

Shuman says, "Both of them were very passionate about the community and Israel."

Stein's nephew Steven Halle told the Tribune-Review that his uncle "was always willing to help anybody." Halle says Stein "was somebody that everybody liked."

___

Joyce Fienberg

Joyce Fienberg and her late husband, Stephen, were intellectual powerhouses, but those who knew them say they were the kind of people who used that intellect to help others.

Fienberg spent most of her career at the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center. She retired in 2008 from her job as a researcher looking at learning in the classroom and in museums. She worked on several projects, including studying the practices of highly effective teachers.

Dr. Gaea Leinhardt, who was Fienberg's research partner for decades, says, "Joyce was a magnificent, generous, caring, and profoundly thoughtful human being."

___

David Rosenthal and Cecil Rosenthal

Cecil Rosenthal and David Rosenthal: 'Sweet, gentle, caring men'

The Rosenthal brothers went through life together with help from a disability-services organization. And an important part of the brothers' lives was the Tree of Life synagogue, where they never missed a Saturday's services, people who knew them say.

"If they were here, they would tell you that is where they were supposed to be," Chris Schopf, a vice president of the organization ACHIEVA, said in a statement.

"They really found a home at the synagogue, and people reciprocated," he said.

"Together, they looked out for each other," she said. "Most of all, they were kind, good people with a strong faith and respect for everyone around."

The two left an impression on state Rep. David Frankel, who sometimes attends services at Tree of Life and whose chief of staff is the Rosenthals' sister.

"They were very sweet, gentle, caring men," Frankel said. "... I know that this community will really mourn their loss because they were such special people."

___

Sylvan and Bernice Simon

Bernice and Sylvan Simon

"Anything that they could do, and they did it as a team," neighbor Jo Stepaniak said about the Wilkinsburg couple.

Sylvan, 86, was a retired accountant with a good sense of humor -- the kind of person his former rabbi, Alvin Berkun, felt comfortable joking with after Sylvan broke his arm a couple of weeks ago.

Bernice, 84, a former nurse, loved classical music and devoted time to charitable work, according to Stepaniak and neighbor Inez Miller.

"(They) were very devoted, an active, steady presence," said Berkun, the rabbi emeritus at Tree of Life synagogue.

"Bernice and Sylvan were very good, good-hearted, upstanding, honest, gracious, generous people. They were very dignified and compassionate," Stepaniak said, her voice breaking. "Best neighbors that you could ask for."

___

Melvin Wax

Melvin Wax was remembered as "a sweet, sweet guy" by fellow members of New Light Congregation, which rented space in Tree of Life Synagogue. The retired accountant was said to be unfailingly generous and a pillar of the congregation, filling just about every role except cantor.

"He was such a kind, kind person," said Myron Snider, chairman of the congregation's cemetery committee. "When my daughters were younger, they would go to him, and he would help them with their federal income tax every year. Never charged them.

"He and I used to, at the end of services, try to tell a joke or two to each other. Most of the time they were clean jokes. Most of the time. I won't say all the time. But most of the time."

___

Dr. Richard Gottfried

Dr. Richard Gottfried was "a good and holy man" who "wore his devout faith like a badge of honor," said a friend, Richard DeFilippo.

"His compassion for his fellow man was well known, not only as a volunteer at Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center but as a compassionate dentist at Squirrel Hill Health Care Center, where he and his wife Margaret served the immigrant and underserved population of the Pittsburgh area," DeFilippo said. "He served our Heavenly Father (El Shaddai. El Elyon) in many ways, not the least of these was by serving his fellow man by providing access to care to those who oftentimes fall through the cracks of traditional health care services."

DeFilippo said that Gottfried's "awesome life" was cut short in the shooting, and that he will be missed "more than words can say."

___

Rose Mallinger

Rose Mallinger was a native of Squirrel Hill. She served as secretary in her school's office. Mallinger regularly attended the synagogue and always offered friendly greetings.

The oldest of those killed, Brian Schreiber told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he regularly saw the 97-year-old Mallinger at services.

"Rose was really a fixture of the congregation," Schreiber, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh, told the Post-Gazette.

Mallinger's 61-year-old daughter was among the wounded, a family member said.

___

Irving Younger

Irving Younger was a native of Pittsburgh's Mount Washington area, where a neighbor remembered him as "a really nice guy."

The one-time real estate company owner "talked about his daughter and his grandson, always, and he never had an unkind word to say about anybody," neighbor Tina Prizner told the Tribune-Review.

Beth Markovic, owner of Murray Avenue Kosher grocery and deli, said Younger was a dedicated customer who was especially fond of her meatloaf and chicken salad and asked her to alert him when she was making it.

"So every time I make those things, I will certainly be thinking of him," Markovic said. "I have his phone number right in front of me where I do my work. . So, we feel it. We feel it very much."

THE PATIENTS

UPMC on Sunday said it was still treating four patients: a 40-year-old male police officer in critical condition, a 61-year-old woman in stable condition, a 70-year-old man in critical condition and a 55-year-old man in stable condition.

"Squirrel Hill is the most diverse neighborhood in all of Western Pennsylvania. People choose to live there because of the diversity of the community," Mayor Bill Peduto said. "The Jewish community is the backbone. It is part of the fabric of Pittsburgh. And we will be there -- in all communities -- to support our friends in the Jewish community.

"We have been knocked down before, and have always been able to stand back up because we worked together."

This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

THE SUSPECT

Robert Bowers, 46, of Baldwin, is charged with federal murder and hate crime counts, along with state charges. Authorities said he killed the eight men and three women during worship services Saturday before a SWAT team shot and took him into custody.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones commended police officers for their bravery in entering the synagogue and subduing Bowers, saying that there was "a strong possibility of additional violence" had the gunman been able to leave the building.

Bowers is scheduled for his first court appearance Monday, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said.

"The distinction between a hate and domestic terrorism is, hate crime is where an individual is animated by a hatred or certain animus toward a person of a certain ethnicity or religious faith, and if it becomes domestic terrorism where there is an ideology that that person is then also trying to propagate through violence, so we continue to see where that line is, but for now, at this place in our investigation, we're treating it as a hate crime and charge it as such," Brady said.


This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.