In the wake of the shooting Saturday, that took the lives of 11 people at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, two Muslim groups in the community started a crowdfunding campaign.
According to the Hill, the group’s goal was to raise $25,000. Now, more than $60,000 has been raised for the victims.
According to Forward, Muslim-American non-profits Celebrate Mercy and MPower Change were behind the campaign, “Muslims Unite For Pittsburgh Synagogue.” It is also in partnership with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh.
The proceeds will help with funeral expenses and medical bills.
“The Muslim-American community extends its hands to help the shooting victims, whether it is the injured victims or the Jewish families who have lost loved ones,” the fundraising page reads. “We wish to respond to evil with good, as our faith instructs us, and send a powerful message of compassion through action.”
Sunday morning, the group updated their post saying, “The campaign has gone viral as it begins receiving international media attention. We have now hit our 2nd goal of $50,000, before the 24-hour mark! The goal is now $75,000.”
The groups also wrote on the fundraising page, that they, “hope to send a united message from the Jewish and Muslim communities that there is no place for this type of hate and violence in America.”
“We pray that this restores a sense of security and peace to the Jewish-American community who has undoubtedly been shaken by this event,” the page concluded.
To donate, click here.
More to come.
UPDATE: As of Monday morning, the fundraiser has raised more than $132,000. Their new goal is $150,000.
“This morning, we transferred the first installment of funds ($25K) to the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh to immediately begin disbursing help to the families,” the organization wrote Monday. “We have just increased the goal to $150K and will not increase it again until we assess – with our partners on the ground – if the families’ short-term expenses will exceed that amount. We are overwhelmed with how viral the campaign has gone so far. Many of the donors, at least 25%, are not even Muslim; they are Jewish and friends of other faiths.”
