The rabbis of the Pittsburgh synagogue where a gunman massacred 11 worshippers during Sabbath prayers urged mourners at an interfaith memorial service on Sunday to embrace tolerance and unity, while the city's mayor vowed to "defeat hate with love."
Themes of inclusion and compassion dominated the speeches delivered to an overflow crowd of some 2,500 people at the University of Pittsburgh's Soldiers and Sailors Hall, with speakers decrying the rise of toxic political discourse widely seen as creating an atmosphere conducive to violence.
Tree of Life synagogue Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who was leading prayers when the shooter opened fire, called on political leaders, starting with "those in the room," to help put an end to hate speech. His call elicited shouts of "Vote!" from the audience.
"My words are not intended as political," Myers said. "My mother always taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it."
The "Stronger Together" service opened with a performance by a Baptist gospel choir and included addresses by Christian and Muslim clergy, but it was largely led by Meyers and two fellow rabbis representing the three Jewish congregations that jointly used the synagogue targeted in Saturday's carnage.
Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, who leads the New Light congregation in the same synagogue, choked back tears as he said, "What happened yesterday will not break us. It will not ruin us. We will continue to thrive and sing and worship and learn together and continue our historic legacy in the city with the friendliest people that I know."
Eleven people were killed on Saturday when a man armed with an assault rifle and three handguns stormed the synagogue in the city's heavily Jewish Squirrel Hill neighborhood and opened fire on worshippers, while yelling "All Jews must die."
Six people, including four police officers, were also wounded before the suspect was arrested. Two of the wounded victims were still in critical condition on Sunday.
The massacre marked the deadliest attack in history against the American Jewish community, according to the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Gunman Robert Bowers, 46, who has a history of posting anti-Semitic messages online, has been charged under federal hate crime statutes and could face the death penalty if convicted.
"This is the darkest hour in our city's history," Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said during Sunday's service.
"But here's another thing about Pittsburgh. We are resilient. We will work together as one. We will defeat hate with love. We will be a city of compassion and we will be welcoming to all people," he said to cheers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers observed a moment of silence before their game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, as did NFL teams in other cities.
In a tribute to the victims, the Steelers' logo was tweaked to change a yellow diamond into a Star of David, and the words "Stronger than hate" were inserted. The logo appeared on the internet and was displayed at Heinz Field for the team's game.
The shooting sparked security alerts at houses of worship around the country and condemnation from politicians and religious leaders.
In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the massacre at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.
"The entire nation of Israel mourns with the families of the murdered in the horrendous massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh," he said.
"It is hard to overstate the horror of the murder of Jews who congregate on the Sabbath and who were murdered only because they were Jews.
"On my behalf, on behalf of the government of Israel and the nation of Israel, I convey our heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost dear ones. We all pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded."
Netanyahu also wrote an open letter to the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, expressing his "appreciation to President Trump for unequivocally condemning this heinous crime and for pledging to fight those who seek to destroy the Jewish people."
The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry issued a statement describing the shooting as an "act of terrorism that targeted a synagogue ... in which American Jews and policemen were killed."
It added: "We condemn the targeting of places of worship by terrorists motivated by odious, fascist beliefs based on the supremacy of the white race."
