University President Fr. John Jenkins released a statement Sunday offering his sympathies to those impacted by the Tree of Life Congregation shooting in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning.
“On behalf of the University of Notre Dame, I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the shooting victims at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and to their extended family among the Jewish students, faculty and staff here at Notre Dame and in South Bend,” he said in the statement.
The shooting took place when a man shot and killed 11 people and injured six more at a synagogue, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that the shooting is believed to be the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States.
In his statement, Jenkins condemned anti-Semitism and pledged solidarity with the victims of the shooting.
“A mass shooting again bloodies the American landscape, but now with the venal ingredient of anti-Semitism as a motive,” he said. “On this, the Sabbath for our Catholic university, intercessions were offered today at Mass in the Basilica and at students’ resident chapels on behalf of the Tree of Life departed and their surviving loved ones.
“In the days ahead, Notre Dame will look for ways to mourn in solidarity with our friends and to address the venomous hatred directed at them because of their faith and identity.”
