In the aftermath of a shooting that killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue, a flood of public outcry and support have made their way to Jewish organizations, most notably HIAS, founded in 1881 as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society.
Multiple organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, have expressed support for HIAS following the shooting. The gunman in custody, 46-year-old Robert Bowers of Pittsburgh, expressed genocidal desires to kill Jewish people when he barged into the synagogue with an AR-15 assault rifle, reports said.
HIAS was also an ideological target for the suspected gunman, as cited by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch, which included a screenshot of a Twitter post attributed to the gunman that said, “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
Challenge of Raising Money
The Anti-Defamation League has been in a position similar to HIAS, especially after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., and has said it is a difficult balance to support suffering families while avoiding being seen as an opportunist too hungry for funding. Those nonprofits and others are also wary that they, too, can become targets of direct violence.
Miriam Feffer, vice president for development at HIAS, said in an interview that the organization does not yet have official fundraising figures to confirm any donation increases in the wake of the synagogue shooting.
“We would never look at a tragedy such as this as an occasion to exploit,” she said when questioned about potential strategies to increase fundraising in the wake of a disaster. “We are bigger than bigotry and stronger than hate.” However, numerous prominent columnists and others took to social media over the weekend to say they had given and urge others to do so.
She added that HIAS will remain focused on an effort called National Refugee Shabbat, which was marked on October 19 and 20 and is a continuing effort that the suspected gunman criticized when he said, “HIAS likes to bring invaders,” according to reports. National Refugee Shabbat, the organization said on their webpage, “is the perfect moment to raise awareness in our community, to recognize the work that has been done, and to reaffirm our commitment to welcoming refugees.” Shabbat is a weekly religious observance, from just before sundown each Friday through the completion of nightfall on Saturday.
“We are incredibly proud that we have a network of more than 420 congregations who have signed on to our welcome campaign, which means they’ve committed to taking action for refugees,” Feffer said. “For some of them, it means taking on a refugee family and assisting them directly. For others, it means doing advocacy work.”
$500,000 Crowdfunding Effort
Other efforts also underway are a direct result of the shooting. One crowdfunding campaign has raised more than half a million dollars, with a goal of $1 million. Another one, by Muslims, surpassed its initial goal of $25,000 to raise more than $110,000, Business Insider reports. Feffer said that in addition to concerns about safety, the charity had trouble mobilizing quickly because HIAS employees who observe the Sabbath didn’t have access to their cars or news during parts of the weekend. She said that is why she was especially appreciative that other charities, like Southern Poverty Law Center, jumped to put out messages of support on social media.
As she looks ahead to the important year-end fundraising season, she says, “we will move into year-end the way we always do, by hoping to reach as many people as possible who choose to support HIAS. We’re grateful for all of them.”