Jurors seen shedding tears as family members of victims give emotional testimony at Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial

By Sabrina Souza, CNN

(CNN) — Wrenching testimony from family members of the victims caused jurors to get emotional Tuesday, with some shedding tears during the second day of the final phase of the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooting trial.

Prosecutors continued to call on family members of the 11 worshippers who were shot and killed by Robert Bowers at the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, as well as the girlfriend of a police officer whose hand was badly injured by gunfire.

Bowers, 50, was found guilty on June 16 of all 63 charges against him in the attack at the Pittsburgh synagogue in October 2018, the deadliest ever attack on Jewish people in the United States. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses.

The jury found he was eligible for the death penalty on July 13, moving the trial to this final sentencing stage.

The victims included a 97-year-old great-grandmother, a dedicated doctor who still made house calls and a couple married at the synagogue more than 60 years earlier.

First to the stand Tuesday was Daniel Kramer, brother-in-law of Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, one of the victims. Kramer described Rabinowitz as a selfless man who dedicated his life to caring for his patients.

Kramer said Rabinowitz “was one of the most positive, upbeat, cheerful kind people you would ever meet.”

Kramer detailed Rabinowitz’s impressive medical career.

“He was a very gifted student, and he did well in school. He got a full scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, graduated with honors – Phi Beta Kappa – and then was able to pursue his dream for being a doctor because he also got a full scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school, where he graduated from with high honors.”

Kramer said Rabinowitz loved to treat children and was a doctor who tended to entire families.

“Jerry had all the time in the world for his patients,” he said. Rabinowitz was always present with his patients. He was on call in the women’s shelter day and night. Kramer added, “If someone was sick or needed medical attention, he would be there.”

Federal prosecutor Troy Rivetti showed jurors a photo of Rabinowitz him in his office, smiling. Kramer said his brother-in-law was “smiling as he always did. He was so happy to be a doctor. He was so happy to have his patients.”

Rabinowitz had an influx of sick young men coming into his office during the AIDS crisis, when the disease was still confusing for the medical community, with no cure or treatments, Kramer said.

But Rabinowitz educated himself as best he could and read the medical literature, Kramer said. “Jerry took them in, Jerry cared for them and at the end of their visits he would hug them.” This was at a time when many considered them untouchable.

House calls were important to Rabinowitz, Kramer testified. He had a fairly large contingent of elderly patients who found it hard to go into the office. Even after a long day, it would not be unusual for him to pack his bag and make a house call, Kramer said of his brother-in-law.

Kramer recalled an older female patient who would make Rabinowitz tea. After work Jerry would go over to her house to take her blood pressure, hold her hand, and just talk. “That’s the kind of doctor he was,” Kramer said.

During services at the synagogue, Jerry would always stand during a prayer called Kaddish, Kramer said. It is traditionally recited by people who are in mourning during Jewish prayers services, and Kramer testified the prayer was very special to his brother-in-law, noting congregants who aren’t mourning the recent death of a family member typically don’t stand for the prayer.

“Jerry said, ‘I stand because there are many people passed away who don’t have people to stand for them. And I’m going to stand up for them,’” Kramer said.

After the shooting, he was told that in synagogues around the world, entire congregations stood for the Kaddish in honor of Jerry, Kramer said while crying on the stand.

Kramer said his sister, Miri Rabinowitz, suffered a big void in her life when she lost her husband.

“She comes home at night from work to an empty house and he’s not there. And when something good happens in her life, he’s not there to share it with, to share that happiness. And when something difficult happens with her, he’s not there to help her,” Kramer said.

Kramer said his sister set up a scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania in her husband’s memory for a medical student who shows the biggest commitment to community service.

Kramer testified his sister often reads a meaningful saying that reminds her of her husband: “It’s better to be kind than it is to be right.” The phrase is on a plaque near where she also keeps Jerry’s yarmulke and pray shawls. “We have all taken that to heart,” Kramer said.

Children of Bernice and Sylvan Simon also testify

The antisemitic mass killing began on a rainy Saturday morning when Bowers burst into the synagogue and began shooting people using an AR-15-style rifle. The synagogue was hosting three congregations that day, Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light, for weekly Shabbat services.

Michelle Weiss and Michael Simon took the stand Tuesday to speak about the impact their parents’ death had on them.

Weiss said her parents, who were married at the Tree of Life synagogue, “still did everything together” and were very much still in love.

Michael Simon struggled to keep his composure while describing his parents. “They were a remarkable couple, I mean they were like the poster people for being married and the way that you should treat each other. They were always together,” Simon said.

When a federal prosecutor asked how the loss has impacted her, Weiss said, “I’ll never have that love from a parent again.”

She testified how difficult it is not being able to call her mother and talk to her every day. “I don’t have a husband. I’m not married. It’s just very lonely without being able to talk to my parents.”

Weiss said she was very close to her mother. “I lost my best friend, my confidant, my everything. I lost my two most important people in one day.”

Simon said when he would end phone calls with his father, he would always say, “I love you.”

“He’s just a happy go lucky guy.” Simon said.

“It’s like you have a hole in your heart that’s never going to heal,” Simon added.

Weiss and Simon explained how their children were so close to their grandparents and walked the court through photos of them together.

Simon said they would have big family dinners and participate in activities together, like going to an arts festival. “It was just a very close relationship and my parents were pretty much the center of everything,” Simon said.

Joyce Fienberg described as “sort of like Mary Poppins”

Anthony Fienberg said he maintained regular contact with his mother, Joyce Fienberg, despite living in France for the past 27 years.

Joyce Fienberg was shot and killed by Bowers.

Anthony Fienberg has five children, and said they came back every summer to spend it in Pittsburgh. His parents would also visit them in France.

He said when his kids tell stories about his mother, they say, “She’s sort of like Mary Poppins.” She would come in and dance around, taking care of everything, Fienberg said. “It’s a personality that’s about caring.”

Fighting tears, Fienberg described the impact her loss had on her grandchildren. “She meant everything to the kids. Our kids were devastated,” Fienberg testified.

Howard Fienberg, Anthony’s younger brother, said, “Grandkids were everything to my mom, probably even more than my brother and I were to her when we were kids.”

When he got a call from his brother on the day of the shooting, he decided to drive into Pittsburgh. He was convinced his mother was fine, and figured they couldn’t get a hold of her because he said, “She must’ve been helping people because that’s what she would’ve done.”

“She was a huge, major portion of our life,” the younger Fienberg said.

Irving Younger’s girlfriend testifies

Judith Kaye, girlfriend of Irving Younger, said they’d “found each other” when Younger was grieving his wife and she had lost both her parents.

“Whenever we were together, it was always like we were on a first date,” Kaye said. “He was very romantic.”

Kaye said Irving was very close to his two children, whom he adopted. She said he also fostered a lot of kids with his wife and “he treated them just as he would his own kids.”

He was a devoted member of the Tree of Life congregation and ushered people in for service, giving them prayer books and leading them to their seats, Kaye testified.

“It was an unconditional kind of love that he had,” she said. “He was warm he was playful it was unselfish it was generous it was unconditional.”

Kaye said Younger lived in Pittsburgh, but after his grandson was born he spent several months a year in California. When he talked about his grandson, Kaye testified he would tear up. “When he spoke of him, it was as if his heart was going to explode because he couldn’t contain the love he had for this kid – he just adored him,” Kaye said.

Kaye spent the day prior to the shooting with Younger and since the shooting, she has often thought if he had spent the night with her, he might have slept in and not gone to the synagogue that day.

He was “the late love of my life,” she said. “His death has left me feeling very alone and lost and missing him very much.”

Granddaughter and son of 97-year-old victim testify

Stanley Mallinger described himself as “paralyzed” after losing his mother, Rose Mallinger, in the shooting.

Mallinger lived with his mother, taking care of her for nearly 20 years.

Amy Mallinger, Rose’s granddaughter, who also testified on Tuesday, was the only grandchild to take the stand in the trial. She said she would always watch game shows with her grandmother, and dance together at celebrations.

“She loved to do the chicken dance most of all,” Mallinger said while looking at a photo of Rose dancing. “She was always on the dance floor. Everyone was always around her dancing.”

The younger Mallinger said her grandmother knew each of the grandchildren’s favorite meals. She often made blintzes, Amy’s favorite treat. “If you spent the night, you’d wake up to blueberry pancakes,” she said.

Amy Mallinger said her “Bubbe” was the core of the family. “She just had the biggest heart.”

Rose Mallinger always wore two rings, a wedding ring and a ring that was made up of all of the jewelry family had given her, her granddaughter said. Rose’s wedding ring is now Amy Mallinger’s engagement ring.

Amy Mallinger said she would talk with her grandmother, who was 97, about plans for her 100th birthday.

“It’s hard to put into words what losing someone so important means to you,” she said. “She was the head of our table and she meant everything to us.”

“She doesn’t get to dance at my wedding and it’s quite hard not having her here,” Amy said through tears. “Just little things. I have her number in my phone and I wanted to call her and I want her to answer but she couldn’t so it’s quite hard.”

Girlfriend of wounded police officer says he sees himself as “crippled, worthless”

Officer Daniel Mead’s girlfriend, Lisa Marie Burns, said Mead is not able to fully use his hand, drive a car, or get back to work after being shot in the hand during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Burns said Mead enjoyed baseball and other sports, but his injury has prevented him from doing those activities now.

“There is really no activities. He leans on a couch and watches TV,” she said.

Burns said she has accompanied Mead through medical treatments, including 8 surgeries on his hand.

She said Mead has had plates inserted, plates removed, as well as silicone implants. He also underwent a procedure to remove a bone sticking outside of finger, she said.

“He does not have a full grip on his hand,” she said. “Pinky finger is worthless and ring finger is no better.”

Burns said her boyfriend of six years no longer socializes with people. “He was real active beforehand, and he was full of energy beforehand. He has no energy now,” she said.

“I can tell you in his exact words. He says he’s ‘a crippled, worthless, piece of sh*t,’” she said.

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