We have a responsibility to come together to honor the lives lost and unite against white supremacy.
John,
Almost five years ago, a white supremacist gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue here in Pittsburgh and killed 11 people and wounded seven others in the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in US history.
Last week, the shooter was found guilty on all 63 criminal counts, including hate crimes resulting in death. Though this verdict is a step toward justice, this trial forced open unimaginably painful wounds for the Tree of Life congregation.
This anti-Semitic attack was driven by conspiracy and hate. And, unfortunately, we’re still seeing this same rise in antisemitism and white supremacy today — not just in the fringes but in the mainstream.
Hateful far-right ideologies like the "great replacement theory" put us all in danger. The shooter was motivated by the same white supremacist theory as the shooters in a Buffalo supermarket, El Paso Walmart, and Christchurch mosque.
We have a responsibility to come together to honor the lives lost and unite against white supremacy. We must work together to combat antisemitism and white nationalism now, not just when a horrific event occurs.
In Congress, I'm fighting for a world where hateful acts like these never happen again including funding education against antisemitism and hate, strengthening our gun laws, and dismantling extremist networks.
We have the power to root out antisemitism and white supremacy everywhere we see it begin to rise. It is through our collective empathy, courage, and power that we can fight back — and it’s going to take all of us.
May the memory of those we lost that day be a blessing.
In love,
Summer
P.S. You can read more about my speech on the House floor here.
