Seven years.
Seven years since that autumn morning in October 2018 when not one, but three congregations gathered at Tree of Life Synagogue to worship — faced with the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history. Not only were eleven lives stolen, but generations were silenced. Families shattered. Dreams cut short. A lot can happen in seven years — teenagers grow up, babies start school, couples build families and futures.
Yet through all that time, one tragic constant has remained for the Jewish people: antisemitism.
When Robert Bowers stormed the doors of the Tree of Life synagogue, many of us believed antisemitism had reached its peak. We thought it was something we had left behind in the history books, something we’d eliminated after the Holocaust. We said “Never Again,” and believed it. In our hearts, we thought we had witnessed the last time Jews would be targeted simply for being Jews.
But we were wrong.
Before firing his gun into that sacred space, Robert Bowers took his hate online. He spent months on Gab, a platform known for its antisemitic content, spewing conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric about Jews. And like too many others, he carried that hatred into the real world — with deadly consequences.
Eleven souls lost.
Mothers. Fathers. Grandparents. Friends.
All loved. All irreplaceable.
We said “Never Again.”
And then, on October 7, 2023 — we said it again.
The Turning Point: Why FOA Exists
For many of us, the Tree of Life massacre was not only a tragedy, it was a turning point. It made one thing painfully clear: Hate online spills into real life.
That day exposed the dangerous pipeline between online hate and offline violence. It revealed how unchecked antisemitism on social media can radicalize minds and end lives.
And that realization gave birth to something powerful.
FOA was founded with one mission — to ensure that what began online at places like Gab would never again lead to another Tree of Life. We came together as a global community to monitor, report, and take down antisemitic content before it can spread — before it can harm.
We are here because words matter.
And silence, too often, costs lives.
Never Again Online
So what can we, as a people, do to ensure that Never Again really means Never Again?
We remember.
We remember the eleven lives lost at Tree of Life.
We remember the lives stolen on October 7.
And we fight back — not with hate, but with action.
By reporting antisemitic posts, by standing up against misinformation, by refusing to let hate take root in our feeds, we become part of the solution. Together, we can stop the next Tree of Life shooting before it starts.
Every report matters. Every post we remove brings us one step closer to a safer world online, and off.
Because “Never Again” isn’t just a promise.
It’s a responsibility.
And it begins with all of us.
✡️ Closing Note
If you see antisemitism online, report it.
Join our community at and help us stop hate in its tracks.