Pittsburgh Native is Tracking Tree of Life Shooting Trial

By Sruly Meyer – COLlive

Many of us remember the horrific events of October 27, 2018, when an anti-Semitic shooter murdered 11 Jewish people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on a Shabbos morning. The shooting, whose victims included elderly holocaust survivors, was the deadliest attack against Jews in U.S. history.

It may therefore come as a surprise to hear that the trial for the shooter, a now 50-year-old man named Robert Bowers, began just a few weeks ago due to legal complications and the coronavirus pandemic.

The fact that the trial is taking place close to 5 years after the attack may be the reason why it is getting so little attention in the media. Aside from the Jewish communities of Pittsburgh and people directly involved in the trial, few are even aware that it is underway.

But for one Pittsburgh native, a 21-year-old college student named Mendy Cohen, the events of that morning sparked something inside him that refused to go away. The fact that the incident took place just minutes from his home in Squirrel Hill left Cohen feeling that he wanted to play an active role in this trial’s story.

Cohen set out to procure a press pass for himself and has since been carefully following the case, spending as much time as he can in the courtroom as it unfolds. He has been recording his observations on Substack in a notebook called “The Cohen Notebook.” With 10 articles already on the platform, Cohen has been using his journalistic talents to bring the trial to the public’s attention and raise awareness of the broader repercussions that are likely to emerge from it.

One particular issue is the subject of the defense attorney’s claim that although Bowers committed an “inexcusable crime,” anti-semitism was not the cause and the attack should not be categorized as a hate crime. They point to hateful posts that Bowers had made on social media against HIAS, an organization that aids immigrants in coming to America and one with which the Tree of Life synagogue is affiliated. The motive for the attack, they say, was to target the synagogue for aligning itself with a group that supports immigration, a policy that Bowers despises deeply.

Cohen points out that allowing for such a distinction could establish a dangerous precedent within the legal system regarding other similar issues. An obvious example is the question of whether organizations such as BDS and other anti-zionist groups can be labeled as anti-semitic and subject to the laws that apply to hate groups. Cohen plans to speak with legal experts, such as Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt from the U.S. State Department, on the issue and write more extensively about it in the future.

The court has been hearing testimony from a number of survivors, including two worshippers who miraculously survived after Bowers failed to notice them in the closet they were hiding in. Cohen describes the indifference on Bower’s face even as Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, the conservative Rabbi of the synagogue, recounted his terrifying memories of hiding in the bathroom listening to the sounds of his congregation being gunned down.

Cohen’s writing style is pleasant and engaging; each article gives you a deeper appreciation of the tragedy and loss that occurred that day. You can read and subscribe to his articles by visiting https://treeoflifetrial.substack.com