AND HE IS -- WAS THE KINDEST, MOST LOVING, CARING PERSON.
>> DR. RICHARD GOTTFRIED, ONE OF
THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT WERE
GUNNED DOWN.
GUNNED DOWN. I’M JOINED BY RABBI JEFFREY
MYERS.
MYERS. HE WAS PRESIDING OVER HIS
CONGREGATION AT THE TIME OF THE
SHOOTING.
SHOOTING. THE HEARTS OF THE NATION ARE
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU. >> THE WORLD.
>> INDEED, THE WHOLE WORLD.
YOU HAVEN’T BEEN BACK HERE SINCE
SATURDAY.
SATURDAY. THIS IS YOUR SYNAGOGUE, YOUR
HOME, YOUR HOUSE OF WORSHIP.
WHAT CROSSES YOUR MIND?
>> I DIDN’T SEE THE STARS AND
THE TRIBUTES TO PEOPLE UNTIL I
CAUGHT A LITTLE OF THE NEWS LAST
NIGHT AND I SAW IT IN PERSON
THIS MORNING.
THIS MORNING. FOR A MOMENT, I FELT LIKE, I’M
STANDING AT A CEMETERY AND THIS
IS A MASSIVE MAUSOLEUM.
IT’S MY HOME AND IT’S BEEN
DESECRATED.
DESECRATED. >> YOU SAID TO ME A FEW MOMENTS
AGO, YOU COULD NEVER USE THAT
SANCTUARY AGAIN.
SANCTUARY AGAIN. >> IT CAN’T BE USED AGAIN IN ITS
PRESENT CONDITION.
PRESENT CONDITION. THE BULLET HOLES ARE TOO
NUMEROUS TO COUNT.
BUT WE WILL REBUILD BECAUSE
WE’RE TREE OF LIFE.
WE’VE BEEN HERE 154 YEARS.
AND YOU CAN CUT OFF SOME
BRANCHES BUT THE TREE WILL
CONTINUE TO GROW AND WE WILL BE
BACK.
BACK. >> YOU CAN SEE HOW THIS
COMMUNITY OF ALL FAITHS, HOW
PEOPLE ARE PULLING TOGETHER, IN
THIS MOMENT.
THIS MOMENT. AND I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT YOU
SAW, RABBI, ON SATURDAY MORNING.
IT’S JUST A REGULAR SATURDAY
MORNING.
MORNING. YOU’RE LEADING SERVICES, YOUR
MOST FAITHFUL ARE THERE.
CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?
>> WE START AT 9:45.
AND THE REGULARS ARE THERE.
THESE GOOD, DECENT PEOPLE, WHO
WERE OVER THERE.
AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, I
HEARD WHAT I THOUGHT WAS
CRASHING METAL OF ONE OF THE
COAT RACKS.
COAT RACKS. AND I THOUGHT ONE OF OUR SENIORS
MAYBE LOST HIS OR HER BALANCE
AND PULLED ON IT TO RIGHT
THEMSELVES AND FELL, GOD FORBID,
OR SOMETHING.
OR SOMETHING. AND AT THAT MOMENT, THREE
MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATIONS
THAT WE HOUSE IN OUR BUILDING, I
SAW THEM RAN DOWN THE STAIRS.
THAT’S WHEN THE NEXT SET OF
BULLETS RANG OUT, WITHIN ANOTHER
10 OR 15 SECONDS.
WHILE I’VE NEVER PERSONALLY
WITNESSED OR HEARD GUNFIRE,
THANK GOD, UNTIL THIS MOMENT,
JUST SOMETHING INSIDE TOLD ME,
THIS IS GUNFIRE.
AND I TOLD MY CONGREGANTS TO
DROP TO THE FLOOR, BE QUIET,
DON’T SAY A WORD, DON’T MOVE.
I THOUGHT THE PEWS ARE THICK,
OLD WOOD, PERHAPS THERE’S
PROTECTION THERE.
PROTECTION THERE. AND THE PEOPLE AT THE FRONT OF
THE SANCTUARY, I GOT THEM OUT TO
THE FRONT OF THE SANCTUARY.
THERE WERE DOORS LEADING TO THIS
LABYRINTH OF A BUILDING TO GET
PEOPLE OUT TO DIFFERENT PLACES,
WHETHER IT’S TO EXIT OR HIDE IN
A CLOSET OR SOMETHING.
I TRIED TO SEE IF I COULD GO
BACK TO GET THE EIGHT REMAINING
PEOPLE IN THE BACK OF THE
CONGREGATION.
CONGREGATION. I COULD TELL, THE GUNFIRE WAS
GETTING LOUDER, IT WAS COMING UP
THE STAIRS AND I COULDN’T SAVE
THOSE EIGHT PEOPLE.
>> DID YOU SEE THE GUNMAN?
>> I NEVER SAW THE GUNMAN.
>> DID YOU HEAR HIM SAY
ANYTHING?
ANYTHING? >> I NEVER HEARD ANY WORDS FROM
THE GUNMAN AT ANY TIME.
I RAN THROUGH THE BACK OF THE
SANCTUARY AND WENT UP THE
STAIRS.
STAIRS. THE EXIT ROUTE I THOUGHT I COULD
TAKE, I DIDN’T FEEL WAS A SAFE
ROUTE BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE A
SIGHT LINE WHERE I WOULD BE
COMING OUT AND I THOUGHT THAT
WAS FOOLISH.
WAS FOOLISH. I WENT UP INTO THE CHOIR LOFT.
AND I HEARD HIM EXECUTE MY
CONGREGANTS.
CONGREGANTS. I CAN’T WATCHDIDN’T WATCH IT.
I COULDN’T WATCH IT.
I CALLED 911 AND I STAYED ON THE
LINE FOR WHAT FELT LIKE AN
ETERNITY.
ETERNITY. THEY SAID IT WAS 20 MINUTES.
I HEARD FOOTSTEPS.
AND FORTUNATELY THERE’S A
BATHROOM UP THERE.
THE LOCK DIDN’T WORK.
I WITH ALL MY MIGHT JUST HELD ON
TO THE DOOR AND PRAYED TO GOD,
DON’T FIND ME.
AND FORTUNATELY, S.W.A.T. CAME
AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN
ETERNITY AND RESCUED ME.
AT THAT POINT, THEY HAD NOT
CAUGHT HIM.
CAUGHT HIM. HE WAS STILL AT LARGE SOMEWHERE
IN THE FACILITY.
THEY SAFELY ESCORTED ME OUT OF
THE BUILDING, CLOSER TO THIS END
OF THE BUILDING AND HAD ME RUN
ACROSS THE STREET.
THAT’S PROBABLY THAT FAMOUS 15
MINUTES OF FAME PHOTO OF ME,
RUNNING ACROSS THE STREET WITH
MY PRAYER SHAWL ON BECAUSE THEY
ESCORTED ME DOWN THE STREET.
THE POLICE WERE HIDING BECAUSE
THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHERE HE WAS
YET.
YET. THEY HADN’T CAUGHT HIM.
>> POLICE OFFICERS WERE SHOT AS
THEY TRIED TO STOP HIM.
>> WE KNOW.
>> AND WE NOW KNOW ACCORDING TO
THE POLICE THAT HE HAD
HORRENDOUS THINGS TO SAY AND HE
TARGETED MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH
FAITH.
FAITH. HE TARGETED THIS PLACE.
HOW DO YOU WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND
THAT?
THAT? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
JUST THE THOUGHT OF IT HURTS SO
MUCH.
MUCH. >> AT FIRST, I THINK IT’S A
MIXTURE OF ANGER, OF DISBELIEF,
ALL ROLLED INTO ONE.
AM I REALLY EXPERIENCING THIS?
IS THIS A HORRIFIC NIGHTMARE AND
I’M GOING TO WAKE UP?
WAS THIS A CRUEL DRILL THAT THE
FBI HAD US DO TO PRACTICE?
ALL THOSE THINGS GO THROUGH
SIMULTANEOUSLY.
SIMULTANEOUSLY. AND THEN, I SAW THAT, THERE IS
HATE.
HATE. AND IT JUST SEEMS TO BE GETTING
WORSE.
WORSE. >> THE PRESIDENT MAY COME AND
VISIT.
VISIT. WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT WITH
HIM?
HIM? >> IT WOULD BE MY HONOR TO
ALWAYS MEET A PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. >> DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU
WANT TO SAY, TO TELL HIM ABOUT
YOUR COMMUNITY AND THESE GOOD
PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES?
>> THESE ARE GOOD, DECENT
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. THEY DIDN’T HAVE AN OUNCE OF
HATE IN ANY OF THEM.
AND WE TURN TO THE LEADERS OF
OUR COUNTRY.
OUR COUNTRY. WE’VE GOT TO STOP HATE.
AND IT CAN’T JUST BE TO SAY WE
NEED TO STOP HATE.
WE NEED TO DO.
WE NEED TO ACT, TO TONE DOWN
RHETORIC.
RHETORIC. HATE IS NOT WELCOME HERE IN
PITTSBURGH.
PITTSBURGH. IT SHOULD NOT BE WELCOME IN OUR
BORDERS AT ALL.
>> RABBI MYERS, YOU WERE A
PASTOR IN EVERY SENSE ON
SATURDAY, HELPING YOUR
CONGREGANTS.
CONGREGANTS. I KNOW YOU ARE CARING FOR THEM
NOW AND THE VIGIL AND YOU