Colin Atagi, Palm Springs Desert Sun Published 3:55 p.m. PT Jan. 15, 2020 | Updated 9:44 p.m. PT Jan. 15, 2020
Eleven people died in a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Those who survived the incident say one simple act played a role in their escape: They ran.
It was among survival tips they learned during active-shooter training ahead of an attack that became reality on Oct. 27, 2018, at the Tree of Life synagogue.
Dozens attended a presentation on preparedness Wednesday at the Jewish Federation of the Desert in Rancho Mirage.
They watched video testimonies featuring survivors from the Pittsburgh shootings who recalled their experiences. Among them was Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who said he was the first person to dial 911 only because he had his phone.
“You need to have your phone on you, because you never know when you’ll need it,” he said.
Brad Orsini, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s former director of Jewish community security, led the presentation and emphasized that months of training ahead of the shooting were key to survival.
“Preparedness is the only thing we have control over,” said Orsini, who now works as senior national security adviser for the Secure Community Network with the Jewish Federations of North America. “This isn’t about how to keep the Jewish community safe; it’s how to keep all communities safe.”
He advised against anyone who hasn’t had extensive and continuous training carrying a handgun and added that fighting back should be a last resort.
Inviting law enforcement officials to tour and familiarize themselves with an organization’s facilities so they’ll know the layout in the event of any kind of disturbance is also a good idea, Orsini said.
Pittsburgh authorities did this in the months before the 2018 shooting at Tree of Life, he added.
Robert Gregory Bowers is accused of opening fire on Tree of Life congregants as he screamed anti-Semitic epithets. He was arrested after police shot him during an exchange of gunfire and has been charged with 63 federal offenses including hate crime violations, the obstruction of religious belief and the use of a firearm during crimes of violence.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Tree of Life shooting took place at a time when anti-Semitic acts in the United States were happening in large numbers.
ADL records show there were 1,879 incidents in 2018, which was down from the record-high 1,986 incidents in 2017. There’d been fewer than 1,000 incidents each year from 2012 to 2015, before they rose to 1,267 in 2016.
Anti-Semitic incidents continued into 2019, including the April 27 mass shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue north of San Diego.
John T. Earnest, who was arrested and charged with the Chabad of Poway shootings, was 19 at the time. He dialed 911 and admitted to a dispatcher he did it “because Jewish people are destroying the white race.”
Investigators say he was inspired by the Tree of Life shootings.
Palm Springs resident Robert Fey, 77, attends Temple Isaiah. He agrees preparation for these kinds of incidents needs to take place and said Temple Isaiah has been increasing its security.
During Wednesday’s presentation, Fey agreed that something as simple as knowing where the exits are could go a long way to surviving these kinds of attacks.
“It takes two minutes,” Fey said.
Desert Sun reporter Colin Atagi covers crime, public safety and road and highway safety. He can be reached at Colin.Atagi@desertsun.com or follow him at @tdscolinatagi. Support local news, subscribe to The Desert Sun.
USA Today contributed to this story.