Pittsburgh synagogue, site of deadly attack, raising funds for victims of New Zealand mosque shootings

The Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 worshippers were killed last October is raising funds for victims of last week’s deadly shootings at two New Zealand mosques.

Congregants at the Tree of Life synagogue have started a GoFundMe page to support the New Zealand Muslim community, congregation President Sam Schachner told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

{mosads}“We’re unfortunately part of a club that nobody wants to be a part of, and we wanted to reach out to New Zealand in the same way everyone reached out to us,” Schachner said.

The GoFundMe page, which has a goal of $100,000, raised more than $13,000 in one day since its launch over the weekend.

“We recall with love the immediate, overwhelming support Tree of Life received from our Muslim brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh,” the page reads.

Islamic groups raised $77,000 for the victims of the Tree of Life shooting immediately after the attack in October. The fundraiser, Muslims Unite for Pittsburgh Synagogue, raised over $238,000 before it concluded.

The Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh has also created its own relief fund for the victims of the shootings in New Zealand, in which 50 people died.

“We had a strong relationship with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, but the relationships among all of the faith leaders in Pittsburgh have ironically been strengthened due to the Oct. 27 attack,” federation spokesman Adam Hertzman told the Post-Gazette.

“I say ironically because I think that’s not what the shooter had intended,” he added.