Uniontown native among those killed in synagogue shooting
Before Dr. Richard Gottfried was known as “Dr. Rich” through his North Hills dentistry, he was known as “Dicky,” a happy-go-lucky Uniontown boy from a loving family dedicated to the Jewish faith.
The 65-year-old husband and father was among the 11 slain during services at Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill Saturday morning.
“I can just see him running in the back yard, and he’s just a skinny, scrawny little thing with such a happy, pleasurable personality,” said Wendy Miller, who was close friends with Gottfried’s sister, Carol Black. Miller was two doors down from the synagogue when Robert Bowers, 46, reportedly entered the synagogue saying “All Jews must die” and opened fire. Miller also grew up two doors down from the Gottfried family.
Gottfried was preparing for retirement following years as a dentist. He often treated refugees and immigrants who could not afford care. He met his wife, Margaret “Peg” Durachko, in dental school.
Black was also at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill during the shooting. She huddled in a closet with a steel door, along with a rabbi and two other congregants. One of those congregants died at her feet, according to sisters Bonni Huffman and Debi Salvin, speaking to the Today show. Bowers also allegedly injured six others, including four police officers.
“It’s just unimaginable that somebody who was so full of life is gone in an instant,” said Salvin, his twin sister, on the show.
Miller was visiting a friend in Pittsburgh Saturday when the street was put on lockdown. She did not know what happened until her friend, a doctor, was called to treat one of the injured officers. When he returned, she learned the shooter targeted Jews at the synagogue.
“I was just flabbergasted. You can’t imagine that situation until you are in it. I don’t think it has even set in. It’s just shock,” she said.
Later, she learned her close friend was also present at the time.
“It’s like every hour, you get another piece of information that makes it more gruesome,” she said.
Although Miller lost contact with Black over the years, she said she was the type of friend who made a lasting impact. They all attended the former Tree of Life synagogue in Uniontown, praying together, swimming together at the Jewish Community Center, often eating dinner at each other’s houses and attending Uniontown Area School District together. Mother Miriam Gottfried was a teacher at Uniontown Area High School, and father Dr. Herbert Gottfried was a local orthodontist.
Rabbi Sion David, who retired from the former Temple Israel in Uniontown, was friends with Herbert Gottfried through the local rotary club and through their shared faith. The family was very active in both the religious and secular community, he said.
“I think most of us were very much in shock and very incredulous that something like this could happen,” he said. “It’s very hard on the Jewish community.”
He added that in response to the hatred, he has seen an outpouring of support from people of all faiths, receiving phone calls from Israel, England and France.
David moved to Oakland after Temple Israel closed its doors. He lamented the local Jewish community migrated, mainly due to a declining economy. In the 1950s, he said the Jewish community was strong and vibrant in Fayette County.
“At one time, Uniontown was the third largest community of Jewish people in the state,” said Myrna Giannopoulos, who was the last president of the Uniontown Tree of Life congregation before it closed in 2015.
“The Jewish community is a very tight-knit community, and we know each other. Even though we might marry out of the community, it’s still a binding community,” she said.
When Miller returned to her Uniontown home, she said she sat in shock looking out the window and attempting to process the tragedy. Although she left the Jewish faith after marrying a Catholic man, she said the community bond is unbroken.
“You still have those Jewish roots. You think of them. They’re one of your own. It’s just devastating. That should never have happened to any of those people,” she said.
She described Squirrel Hill as a diverse community where everyone gets along. She said she knows the tragedy will leave lasting scars on the neighborhood and its people.
“It’s just awful what’s going on in this country. You can’t even worship in a place and feel safe,” she said.
David questioned whether security measures should be tightened at synagogues, which he said are always open and welcoming to others.
“We have to examine what can be changed, if anything,” he said. “We are always welcoming to all people. Back in Uniontown, our doors were always open during services.”
Gottfried’s sisters said on the Today show they were never afraid based on their faith.
“I can’t live that way, and I can’t hate [Bowers] either. I can’t hate him, because if I do, it will eat me up alive from the inside out,” Huffman said.
“There’s just so much hate in this country,” said Salvin, “And it just needs to stop.”