Amid a surge of anti-Semitic harassment and assault experienced by American Jews, Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania told MSNBC that the Jewish community need to be strong, and follow the message of “When they do more evil, I do more Jewish.”
“We’re experiencing once again what many call domestic terrorism,” he said. “The goal of domestic terrorists is to change your own behaviour. My answer to my fellow American Jews is I will not let domestic terrorists terrorize me.”
Myers, who was the rabbi of the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 when it experienced the worst anti-Semitic attack in American history, where 11 members were killed and six injured after a gunman attacked congregants during Shabbat services, was speaking on “Stephanie Ruhle Reports” on Wednesday.
On its website, the Tree of Life Synagogue describes itself as a "traditional, progressive and egalitarian congregation based in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood."
Myers continued, “When they terrorize me, I do even more Jewish things. The answer is not to do less and to hide. It’s to be proud of who you are, and to do more of what you are that makes you Jewish. To help your fellow human beings in any way that you can. To follow the precepts of our Jewish law. And to be the best possible version of yourself you can be.”
He added, “So when they do more evil, I do more Jewish.”