N.J. Admin. Code § Executive Order No. 43 (2018)
A Tribute to the Life and Passing of the Victims at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, on October 27, 2018, 11 people were killed and 6 people were injured at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in a horrific act of gun violence; and
WHEREAS, the gunman was heavily armed and entered the house of worship with a semiautomatic AR-15 and several handguns and was seemingly motivated by his religious and ethnic animus toward the Jewish people to commit mass murder; and
WHEREAS, Jewish advocacy groups have declared that the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue was the worst attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history; and
WHEREAS, the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue tragically joins Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina, First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, as the most recent houses of worship to be terrorized by gun violence; and
WHEREAS, houses of worship are places of community, solace, and reflection where no person should fear for their safety; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey is one of the most religiously diverse states in the nation and is strengthened by this diversity; and
WHEREAS, religious tolerance is a bedrock principle of the Constitution of the United States and bigotry and prejudice have no place in the State of New Jersey or anywhere else in this nation; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to recognize the victims at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to honor their memories, and to mark their passing; and
WHEREAS, it is also appropriate to commemorate the heroism and bravery of the law enforcement officers who responded to the scene and disabled the gunman after a firefight that left four officers wounded, with two of them suffering critical injuries; and
WHEREAS, my administration is committed not only to mourning the victims and their families but also to doing everything we can both to prevent these senseless and heartbreaking mass shootings from happening in our state and to end the epidemic of gun violence that plagues far too many of our communities, as we again witnessed this weekend with the multiple shootings in Jersey City that resulted in the tragic death of Jade Saunders, a 17-year-old girl, and injuries to a 20-year-old woman and a 2-year-old boy;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
N.J. Admin. Code Executive Order No. 43 (2018)