A 97-year-old, an elderly wife and husband: These are the 11 victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre

The Jewish congregants were there to celebrate life, but were met by death. Most never had a chance.

Just before 10 a.m. Saturday, suspected gunman Robert Bowers, 46, burst into the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh and, yelling "All Jews must die," killed 11 before himself being wounded and taken into custody.

The list of those killed Saturday included middle-aged brothers, an elderly husband and wife and a grandmother nearing 100. All were cherished members of a tight-knit Jewish community with deep roots in Pittsburgh history.

Many of them had gathered for a naming ceremony, which marks the beginning of a baby's journey in the Jewish faith. Some arrived on this traditionally holy day, the sabbath, simply to worship, study and pray. All wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

On Sunday, Pittsburgh chief medical examiner Karl Williams read the names of the dead. "The families are in shock and grieving, please be respectful of their needs, their time and space as they deal with this tragedy," he said. 

Those killed were Daniel Stein, 71; Joyce Feinberg, 75; Richard Gottfried, 65; Rose Mallinger, 97; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; brothers Cecil Rosenthal, 59, and David Rosenthal 54; husband and wife Bernice Simon, 84 and Sylvan Simon, 86; Melvin Wax, 88; and Irving Younger, 69.

'Infectious' laugh and gentle spirit

The Rosenthal brothers, Cecil and David, were long-time members of the Tree of Life synagogue, according to J.E. Reich, who grew up in the neighborhood the brothers called home. Reich said the brothers were developmentally disabled and lived together. The two had Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that often results in mild to moderate intellectual disability.

Cecil Rosenthal loved to greet people at the door of the synagogue before services “not out of obligation, but out of joy,” said Reich, a reporter who has written for online websites such as Jezebel.

Reich tweeted that due to the ongoing police investigation, which has involved cordoning off part of the cemetery at Tree of Life, all burials may be delayed.

"This is heartbreaking: the map for the cemetery plots where the victims will be interred is still in Tree of Life Synagogue – still cordoned off as a crime scene – which might delay their burials," Reich wrote. "Synagogue admin is hoping that an FBI agent will be able to get the plot plan for them."

Achieva, an area organization that helps the developmentally disabled, put out a statement Sunday that said both brothers had a deep love of community and life.

“If they were here, they would tell you that is where they were supposed to be,” said Chris Schopf, Achieva's vice president of residential supports.

“Cecil’s laugh was infectious," Schopf added. "David was so kind and had such a gentle spirit. Together, they looked out for one another. They were inseparable. Most of all, they were kind, good people with a strong faith and respect for everyone around.”

Sylvan Simon, 86, and his wife, Bernice, 84, lived in Wilkinsburg, about six miles from Tree of Life. One of their sons, Martin, died in a motorcycle accident in 2010.

Bernice Simon was a retired nurse who served for several years on the board of their townhouse community, according to Simon Reichbaum, who lived three doors down from the couple for more than two decades.

“They were very nice people, I could not think of a bad word to say about them,” said Reichbaum, who described Bernice Sylvan as his “comrade-in-arms” on the townhouse board.

She “wanted to do right for others,” Reichbaum said.

Reichman said Sylvan Simon, who was also retired, liked to take walks around the neighborhood. He always exchanged a wave and a friendly hello. In 2008, Sylvan Simon was quoted in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about the popularity of the Nintendo Wii video game among senior citizens.

The shooting “has struck us all very hard,” said Reichbaum, 74, whose children attended Hebrew school at Tree of Life when they were young. “I can’t even put it into words.”

A 'basic goodness about him'

Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, was a family doctor in Pittsburgh, where he shared a practice with Kenneth Ciesielka.

Jerry and his wife Miri were devoted members of Dor Hadash, which is housed at the Tree of Life Synagogue, and he had served as past president of the Jewish reconstructionist congregation, friends said.

As a kid, Rabinowitz attended Maple Avenue School in Newark, New Jersey, from grade school through middle school.

Mark Sarver, who met Rabinowitz in grade school and later served as the best man in his wedding, said his best friend “never took my friendship for granted.”

As a boy, "Jerry was a small version of the adult self that he became," said Sarver of Washington, D.C. "He was studious but brilliant. He was earnest but fun loving. He just had this basic goodness about him.”

Rabinowitz earned bachelor’s and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in the 1970s and moved to Pittsburgh around 1980.

Known for his signature bowtie and delightful bedside manner, Rabinowitz earned a reputation for faithfully tending to the needs of his patients, friends and family.

“He was extremely caring (and) would always put everyone else’s needs before his own,” said Avishai Ostrin, his nephew, who spoke with USA TODAY from his home in Israel. “It was always about everyone else.”

More:What is Gab, the fringe social network used by Pittsburgh shooting suspect?

More:Design based on Steelers helmet honors synagogue dead

Ostrin said his uncle was "just really, really funny, outgoing (with a) great, loud laugh. Always a smile on his face, always lending a hand.”

Years ago, when Sarver’s mother had surgery in Pittsburgh, Rabinowitz made special arrangements to make sure his family was cared for.

“We both knew that we were friends to the end, no matter what,” Sarver said. “We could talk about anything and everything.”

Richard Gottfried, 65, not only was a longtime dentist, but was an avid golfer, runner and book lover.

As an athlete, boasting on his website that he had completed 28 of one of Pittsburgh's biggest 10K events, the annual Great Race, according to the biography on his website. He practiced dentistry with his wife of 38 years, Margaret Duranchko.

On Sunday, their practice’s answering machine said: "Our office is closed indefinitely due to the tragic death of our beloved Dr. Rich."

Though he was a member of the Tree of Life synagogue, he and his wife volunteered their skills as dentists for the Catholic Charities Free Dental Clinic. Also as a couple, they were wedding counselors at St. Athanasius Catholic Church in the suburb of West View, where Duranchko is a parishioner. Their practice is also in West View.

Gottfried had an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and received his dental degree there as well in 1980, the same year he married Durachko.

Melvin Wax, 88, was a kind, simple man with a well-known presence in the synagogue, said Bill Cartiff, 56, who has been friends with Wax’s daughter for 30 years.  The retired accountant went to the Tree of Life Synagogue three to four times a week and lived in Squirrel Hill.  

Although hard of hearing, Wax was in good health, ate well and didn’t even need a walker, said Cartiff. He also told jokes, was “with it” mentally and could hold good conversations. His daughter Jodi Kart, whom Cartiff is neighbors with in the South Hills, saw her father several times a week.  

One grandchild also survives Wax, whose wife died two years ago. Wax’s family will meet with the Jewish funeral home Monday, and the funeral will probably take place Tuesday or Wednesday, Cartiff said.

“Yesterday was a day of waiting and stressful anticipation of what was happening and getting the official news, which we didn’t get until late in the day after dark,” Cartiff, 56, told USA TODAY.  “Today is just a day to let the dust settle, meet with some family and make arrangements. Because the funeral home couldn’t meet with us until tomorrow, we’re kind of in limbo.” 

All of those who died leave behind grieving family and friends.

Daniel Stein, 71, was a member of the New Light Congregation, a conservative Jewish congregation that was one of three who shared space at the synagogue. A new grandfather, he attended services every Saturday and was an active supporter of the community, according to TribLive.

Joyce Feinberg, 75, was the wife of the late Stephen E. Feinberg, a professor of statistics and social science at Carnegie Mellon University, who died in 2016. They had two sons, Anthony Feinberg of Paris, and Howard Feinberg of Vienna, Virginia, and several grandchildren, according to her husband’s obituary.

Irving Younger, 69, and his wife Sherry, who died in 2007, had two children, Jordanna and Jared, according to her obituary, which ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Some reacted strongly on Twitter to the ages of the deceased.

"Way to rid the world of the scourge of people’s grandparents and great grandparents, you monster," wrote musician E Marlowe, including a link to the list of those killed.

Injured include police officers

In addition to the 11 dead, six people were injured.

More:What we know now: 11 killed in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre; Robert Bowers charged

More:Synagogues around the nation strengthen security following Pittsburgh shooting

According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, they were a 61-year-old woman, a 55-year-old man, a 27-year-old male police officer and a 40-year-old male SWAT officer. Another police officer was treated and released.

Paul Leger, 70, suffered gunshot sounds to his torso in the attack and underwent surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Saturday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Leger was a retired nurse and has worked as a chaplain at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since 2016.

Leger had been scheduled to lead a Saturday morning service at the synagogue, where he was a member of the Dor Hadash congregation, a progressive Reconstructionist Jewish community, according to the Tribune-Review. 

Family members, friends and members of the synagogue began replacing their Facebook profile photos with a Stronger Than Hate graphic, a play on the Pittsburgh Steelers football team logo in which the top-most of three four-pointed stars was replaced by the six-pointed Star of David.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto described Saturday's shooting as the “darkest day in Pittsburgh’s history.”

Jeff Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said Sunday that "it's real once you hear the names. (But) we’ll be there to help our Jewish community and the Pittsburgh region heal from this.”

29 charges filed against Bowers

The U.S. attorney's office Saturday filed 29 charges against Bowers, whose online presence, while previously unknown to authorities, displayed extreme prejudice against those of the Jewish faith.

The charges include 11 counts of obstructing the exercising of religious beliefs resulting in death; 11 counts of using a firearm to commit murder during a crime of violence; four counts of obstructing the exercising of religious beliefs resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer, and three counts of using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

Bowers remains hospitalized in stable condition with several gunshot wounds, officials said Sunday.

In July, Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers wrote a blog post for his congregation lamenting the escalation of gun violence across the country.

"Despite continuous calls for sensible gun control and mental health care, our elected leaders in Washington knew that it would fade away in time," Myers wrote in a post titled "We Deserve Better," which also referenced the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

"Unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the mid-term elections, I fear that that the status quo will remain unchanged, and school shootings will resume," Myers wrote. "I shouldn't have to include in my daily morning prayers that God should watch over my wife and daughter, both teachers, and keep them safe. Where are our leaders?"

Contributing: Monica Rhor, Nathan Bomey, Kristin Lam and Chris Woodyard for USA TODAY; Candy Woodall, York Daily Record