Fund for Pittsburgh synagogue victims raises more than $300K in one day

A GoFundMe started in the wake of a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that claimed 11 lives Saturday has raised over $300,000 in a day.

The fund raised $418,431 on Sunday, donated by over 7,000 people.

“Respond to this hateful act with your act of love today,” reads the description.

The man who started the fund, Shay Khatiri, does not live in Pittsburgh. Khatiri told The Hill that a friend with whom he was staying told him what happened when he woke up Saturday morning.

{mosads}”I told her I’d want to donate to the congregation,” Khatiri said. “Then I thought that I could do this, instead, and it might go viral and have a bigger impact. I had used GoFundMe before to raise funds to be able to do internships in D.C. before, so I knew something about it.”

“I’m glad it worked,” he added.

He added that he “didn’t do anything.”

“This took me two minutes of my life and the $36 I chipped in myself,” Khatiri said. “As much credit and more goes to those who have donated and are helping one way or the other.”

The fund is a GoFundMe certified charity campaign and Khatiri noted on the page that he won’t be accessing any of the funds, which go directly to the synagogue.

The shooting Saturday is likely the worst instance of anti-Semitic violence in U.S. history, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The gunman stormed into the synagogue, screaming that “All Jews must die” as he fired.

A suspect has been detained and charged with 29 counts stemming from the attack, including violating hate crime laws.

Tags anti-semitism Pittsburgh synagogue shooting Squirrel Hill Tree of Life synagogue

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