A massacre in the heart of Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood

The previous October a fire had blazed through my family’s regular synagogue, Beth Shalom, less than a mile away.

Anyone who is from Squirrel Hill, or has ever spent time in the place where I was lucky to be raised, will not be surprised to know how the community responded to this disaster.

Jews and gentiles alike ran toward the fire. As Beth Shalom’s executive director told a reporter at the time: “I didn’t have to look — everyone came to me.” The line put me in mind of my favorite of Fred Rogers’ sayings. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

Squirrel Hill, Mr. Rogers’ real-world neighborhood, is full of such people. His home was three blocks from Tree of Life.