Thousands mourn Pittsburgh victims

Thousands of mourners have attended the first funerals for victims of a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, as protesters prepared for a visit by US President Donald Trump.

About 2000 people from across the United States came to offer condolences to the relatives of David Rosenthal, 54, and Cecil Rosenthal, 59, at the Rodef Shalom synagogue in Pittsburgh as police officers stood outside.

The two brothers were among the 11 mostly elderly congregants shot to death on Saturday at the Tree of Life synagogue.

Services were also held on Tuesday for Jerry Rabinowitz, a 66-year-old family physician, and Daniel Stein, a 71-year-old retiree.

Nurses in surgical scrubs were among the crowd of about 2000 mourners at Rabinowitz’s funeral.

“He was just precious. I feel like I’ve lost a father figure — and I have a father,” said Michele Bucher, a 54-year-old patient of Rabinowitz.

Robert Bowers, 46, is accused of storming into the synagogue yelling “all Jews must die” and opening fire on members of three congregations holding Sabbath prayer services there.

Read the article by Jessica Resnick-Ault in The Australian.