Biden's Claim He Visited Pittsburgh Mass Murder Site Disputed

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden told a group of Jewish leaders he visited the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after 11 people were shot to death there in 2018. The synagogue's executive director said the visit never occurred.

Biden made the claim during a teleconference Thursday with Jewish officials before the start of the High Holy Days.

The vague assertion came nearly three years after the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. In October 2018, the victims were were shot to death while attending services in the synagogue; the accused killer, Robert Bowers, has yet to go to trial because of legal delays and holdups related to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the White House transcript of Biden's comments on the topic of hate, the president said, "It’s been given too much oxygen in the last 4, 5, 7, 10 years, and it has seen itself, whether it was — I remember spending time at the — you know, going to the — you know, the Tree of Life Synagogue, speaking with the — just — it just is amazing these things are happening — happening in America."

The president continued: "And so, I guess the point I’m making is that the attack in Pittsburgh,

those attacks — all anti-Semitic attacks — aren’t just a strike against the Jewish community; they’re a strike against the soul of our nation and the values which we say we stand for."

Tree of Life executive director Barb Feige told the New York Post yesterday that Biden has not visited the synagogue in the nearly three years since the shooting.

Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of Tree of Life did say on Friday that Biden did call him the year after the murders.

“President Biden kindly called me on my cell phone as I was sitting in Dulles Airport awaiting a return flight to Pittsburgh after I testified before Congress in July 2019," he said in a statement.

"In a heartfelt way, he extended his condolences and asked how we were doing. We spoke about the challenges of antisemitism, and he made clear he would confront it with us as president. The conversation meant a great deal to me, and I will always be grateful for his kind words and continued support of our community.”