Today, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Stephanie Meeks, issued the following statement on the murders at Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27, 2018.

“‘Every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.’ In 1790, this Biblical passage (Micah 4:4) was cited by President Washington to the congregants of Touro Synagogue, America’s oldest surviving synagogue and one of our 28 National Trust Historic Sites. Since ‘all possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship,’ Washington declared, America ‘gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.’

“These words are still read aloud every August at Touro Synagogue and, through tours and other educational programs, this remarkable story of religious freedom and inclusivity is shared with the public every day at this property. The spirit of acceptance and togetherness they represent is an essential part of our national creed and what makes us, ‘from many, one.’

“These fundamental rights to live and worship freely, among our nation’s most precious values, were irreparably violated this past weekend at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. We mourn the loss of eleven lives lost, and we condemn the Anti-Semitic violence that was its cause.

“Sacred places like Tree of Life are more than just buildings. Synagogues and churches and mosques are not only often the oldest and most beautiful places in our towns – they are the foundations around which our communities are built. They sustain us as a people and bring us together in service, reflection, and worship. They connect us to each other across generations, and to ourselves.

“We mourn with the families of Squirrel Hill. And we pledge to do all we can to continue to tell their story, and to live up to the values of diversity, religious freedom, and inclusion that, since the days of Washington, our nation has always aspired.”