President Joe Biden marks the anniversary of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack that left 11 people dead.

PITTSBURGH, PA. President Joe Biden on Sunday marked the sixth anniversary of the gunman’s killing. deadly attack on synagogue in Pittsburgh and declared what he called a “horrifying wave of anti-Semitism” amid the war in Gaza.

2018 attack claimed the lives of 11 believers from the Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life congregations, which shared space at the Squirrel Hill Synagogue, the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. The attack, the deadliest act of anti-Semitism in US history, also wounded two worshipers and five responding police officers.

Biden said in a statement that the attack “shattered families, pierced the heart of the Jewish community and struck the soul of our nation.” But he said that over the years, the Jewish community has “also shown the country how to courageously turn pain into purpose” by launching a “global initiative to counter hate and hate-fueled violence.”

Biden noted that memories of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack come weeks after the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel, “during which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, took another 250 hostages and committed horrific acts of sexual violence.”

He said the trauma and loss of Oct. 7 was compounded by “a terrible surge of anti-Semitism against Jews in America and around the world.”

The attack sparked a war between Israel and Hamas and led to widespread destruction and civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.

Biden said his administration is pursuing a national strategy to counter anti-Semitism, including $1.2 billion for security at nonprofits such as synagogues, Jewish community centers and day schools. He also cited the Justice Department’s investigation and prosecution of anti-Semitic crimes and said his administration has “notified colleges that anti-Semitism is discriminatory” and prohibited by civil rights laws.

Vice President Kamala Harris also addressed the rise in anti-Semitism in her statement marking the anniversary of the Pittsburgh attack.

“I will always work to ensure the safety of Jewish people in the United States and around the world, and will always call out anti-Semitism whenever and wherever we see it,” she said.

The Pittsburgh attacker was sentenced to death last year after being found guilty of 63 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death.

In June, ground was broken on a new complex on the Pittsburgh site that would include a cultural center, sanctuary, education center and museum, as well as a memorial to slain believers from three communities.