RELIGION

Jeffrey Myers

Rabbi of of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation

It was the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in the history of the United States: 11 worshippers cruelly murdered by an antisemitic gunman who attacked Shabbat services at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018. In that moment of unprecedented tragedy, Rabbi Jeffrey Meyers displayed a calm heroism as he ushered several of his congregants to safety. “[The gunman] was in the lobby,” Myers recalled. “My gut told me that it was a semiautomatic, and that’s how I knew I had to act immediately to save as many people as I could.” In the aftermath of the Pittsburgh massacre, Myers is focusing his energies on curbing hate speech against Jews and other minorities. “Hate speech led to the death of seven of my congregants and 11 total in my building,” he said. (Photo: Courtesy)