The leader of Pittsburgh's Tree of Life congregation during the 2018 mass shooting is retiring at the end of the month.
Rabbi Myers announced his retirement earlier this year.
He has served as rabbi and cantor at Tree of Life since 2017, including during the 2018 mass shooting that killed 11 worshipers.
Myers says his final blog marks the end of a nine-year run in which he wrote more than 450 weekly posts.
He says he’s also beginning to downsize after 42 years in religious service, shrinking his collection from 150 boxes to 60.
Myers says he’s taking an indefinite hiatus to focus on healing and see what the next chapter brings.
Myers issued a statement saying he takes with him a sense of deep gratitude for the city and the support it showed after the mass shooting, saying "Pittsburghers truly embody the helpers that Fred Rogers and his mother once taught us to look for, and for that, I can only say thank you."
Rabbi Myers' full statement of gratitude is below:
“Pittsburgh will always be a part of me. Since moving here in 2017, I quickly came to learn and experience what it means to be a Yinzer: caring, neighborly, friendly. Then, after October 27, 2018, when the world came crashing down upon my congregation and me, Pittsburgh stepped up big. In our greatest moment of need, everyone showed up. What is beautiful about this city is that it has continued to show up for the Tree of Life congregation, the Jewish community and each other.
“As I retire, I take with me a sense of deep gratitude for this city and the steadfast belief that the vast majority of people in this world are good, decent, caring people, because of how we were so embraced by the kindness of Pittsburghers of all stripes. Pittsburghers truly embody the helpers that Fred Rogers and his mother once taught us to look for, and for that, I can only say thank you.
“While my wife and I are moving to be closer to our granddaughter, I’m not going to say Shalom, or goodbye. Instead, I’m going to say the Hebrew word L’hitraot – until we meet again.”
