NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Tuesday marks the two-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, and among the lawmakers remembering the massacre during which 11 people were killed and several wounded, were Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Biden described the mass shooting -- perpetrated by a white supremacist -- as "a strike against the soul of our national and the values for which America stands."
"Eleven innocent lives were taken that Shabbat morning, ripped away from their families by a lone gunman taking longtime forces of bigotry and prejudice to their violent conclusion," Biden said in a statement. This act of terror was not only an assault against the Jewish community of Pittsburgh — it was a strike against the soul of our nation and the values for which America stands.
He added, "When anti-Semitism is allowed to fester, it shreds the fabric of our communities and erodes our soul ... If we are ever to reach our full potential as a nation, we must banish hatred, bigotry, and conspiratorial fanaticism to the dustbin of history — and choose a path of dignity and respect for all people."
Cuomo said in a statement, "Our hearts remain heavy with sadness as we continue to mourn those who lost their lives that day. Such senseless acts of violence have no place in this country, and thoughts and prayers are never enough."
Cuomo also took the opportunity to acknowledge the state's efforts to combat hate. "This year, New York launched the 'No Hate in Our State' campaign to combat a rising tide of Anti-Semitic hate-crimes and passed the Josef Neumann Hates Crimes Domestic Terrorism Act, a first-in-the-nation domestic terrorism law," he said. "We will never cease taking bold and aggressive actions to protect marginalized communities and to stop the viral spread of hate in this country."
