The Pittsburgh synagogue gunman will be sentenced to death for the nation’s worst antisemitic attack

A: The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting occurred in 2018 when Robert Bowers, a white supremacist, stormed the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. He killed 11 worshippers and wounded several others in what was considered the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history.

A: Robert Bowers was found guilty on 63 criminal counts by a federal jury. The same jury recommended that he be sentenced to death for his actions during the attack.

A: The jury unanimously agreed that Bowers’ attack was motivated by his hatred of Jews. They believed that he deliberately chose the synagogue’s location to maximize the devastation and instill fear within the local, national, and international Jewish communities. Additionally, they found that Bowers showed no remorse for his actions.

A: Bowers’ defense team argued that he had severe untreated mental illness, including schizophrenia, and that he acted out of delusional beliefs. They claimed that he saw himself as a soldier in a race war and believed that Jews were causing a genocide of white people.

A: No, the prosecution denied that mental illness played a role in Bowers’ actions. They asserted that he knew exactly what he was doing when he carried out the attack and should be held accountable for his hate-based targeting of a religious community.

A: Some victims’ families preferred life imprisonment for Bowers, while others agreed with the jury’s recommendation for the death penalty. They believed that holding him accountable with the ultimate penalty under the law was necessary to deter such acts of hate and violence.

A: The Tree of Life synagogue has remained closed since the shooting. Plans are underway to revamp the complex to include a sanctuary, museum, memorial, and center for fighting antisemitism. The community is still healing from the traumatic event, and survivors are trying to move forward with their lives.