'I Am A Jew. I Am Scared': A Response To Tree Of Life Shooting

WORCESTER, MA—"I am a Jew. With that birthright comes a burden...I am a Jew. I am scared."

Scott Zoback spent nearly 20 years living, working and attending college in Worcester. Now in Brookline, Zoback's a communication director for the Senate president, and was the Deputy Chief of staff for Harriette Chandler when she was Senate President.

This year, Zoback married Rachel Zoback, who grew up right outside of Pittsburgh and attended with her family the Tree of Life Synagogue, where eight men and three women were slain when a gunman opened fire on Saturday. Armed with an AR-15 and three Glock handguns, the lone shooter, identified as Robert Bowers, began his rampage Saturday morning at the Tree of Life, authorities said. The massacre, likely the deadliest assault on the Jewish community in American history, rocked the diverse Squirrel Hill neighborhood and led alarmed religious leaders to express "grave concern" for the country's Jewish population.

It also led people such as Zoback, who is Jewish, to not only express grave concern, but anger. Here, find the piece Zoback shared on Sunday in reaction to the shooting in Pittsburgh, PA.

A GoFundMe campaign created to raise money for the congregation had surpassed $344,000 in donations as of Sunday afternoon.

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Photo credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Daniel Hampton, Patch national staff, contributed to this story