First victim in shooting spree at Pittsburgh synagogue identified as Daniel Stein, 71
As news of the slaying of 11 Jews at the Pittsburgh synagogue Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha on Shabbat spread worldwide, the first name of the first victim was released, 71-year-old Daniel Stein.
Daniel Stein
Stein, a father and grandfather who regularly served as chazzan (cantor and prayer leader) for a congregation that met at Tree of Life, was the first name released late Saturday night to an American Jewish community reeling with shock and grief.
All remainder of the names—eight male and three female—have now since been published.
Stein’s nephew, Steven Halle, told local media that when a text began to circulate about a shooter at the synagogue, located in the heavily Jewish Squirrel Hill section of the city, the family began placing calls to Stein, knowing he attended prayer services there every Saturday. Stein, a retired plumbing supplies salesman, did not pick up.
Stein was formerly the president of New Light, one of three congregations that held services at Tree of Life synagogue at 10 a.m.
Listed in critical condition is 70-year-old Daniel Legar, a nurse and chaplain at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who was supposed to lead services for a different congregation on Saturday morning. According to family members, doctors have expressed optimism about Legar’s condition.
