Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh
Tree of Life Synagogue in PittsburghAlexi Rosenfeld

Thousands of givers have opened their hearts to those affected by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, donating more than $6.3 million to a fund for their benefit set up by the local Jewish federation, JTA reported Tuesday.

The bulk of the money, nearly $4.4 million, from the Victims of Terror Fund will go to the families of the 11 worshippers killed and others injured in the October 27 attack at the Tree of Life complex during Shabbat services, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said in a report written by an independent committee.

Some $500,000 was set aside for injured police officers, who will also benefit from other funds set up for them outside of the Jewish community.

The fund closed at the end of February with more than 8,500 donors — people, companies and organizations — from across 48 states and at least eight countries.

The overall figure does not include more than $3 million in grants from 25 organizations and foundations in Pittsburgh and around the world that were earmarked by donors for communal recovery. Another $1.5 million outside the fund was earmarked for enhanced security for the Jewish community.

“No amount of money can compensate for the loss of a loved one’s life; no amount of money can fully compensate for a life that has been violently knocked off course and suddenly filled with unanticipated and daunting obstacles; and no amount of money can ever completely heal our hearts or our communities,” the report said, according to JTA.

Some of the larger donations in the fund were produced by fundraising efforts and collections organized by others, but it has been estimated that there were more than 50,000 individual donors who contributed directly and indirectly to the fund, according to the report.

In total, more than $5.3 million will be distributed as compassion payments to those most directly affected by the attack — the families of the slain worshippers, the two worshippers who were shot and injured in the attack, individuals trapped inside the building and some people who were outside the building but traumatized, and the injured police officers.

Another $650,000 will go to the three congregations that met in the building on the day of the attack, with $450,000 going to the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation for building reconstruction. Some $300,000 also has been set aside for memorializing and commemorating the tragedy, as well as an education effort.

The decisions on how to distribute the money came from an independent committee that consulted with leaders of the congregations, law firms providing pro bono assistance and experts in distributions from victim funds.

The gunman, Robert Bowers, was armed with an AR-15 and three handguns and allegedly yelled “I want to kill all Jews” during the attack.

He was indicted on 44 counts at the end of October and later pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in a federal courtroom.

In January, a federal grand jury added 19 charges to the 44 counts previously levied against Bowers. 13 of the new counts are hate crime violations and the others accuse him of obstructing religious beliefs and discharging a firearm during crimes of violence.

Bowers pleaded not guilty to the new hate crimes charges as well.