Watch CBS News

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: Remembering Melvin Wax

Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- At Forward Shady Apartments, the Squirrel Hill High Rise that 87-year-old Melvin Wax called home for years, those who knew him are remembering the man as a good soul.

"He was the greatest," neighbor K.C. Nahemow said.

melvin wax
Melvin Wax (Photo Credit: Washington Post)

Nahemow was a friend and neighbor of Wax, one of the 11 killed in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history.

"I didn't believe it. I didn't believe it," Nahemow said.

RELATED STORIES:

Wax was a retired accountant, father and grandfather. Those who knew him say he was quiet but had incredible sense of humor.

"He lived across the hall from us and every morning he would walk the halls and everything. He used to tell me every day a joke. Every day was a joke. Real nice guy," neighbor Robert Hough said.

His neighbors say Wax lived his faith.

"He didn't let people suffer. He was here to help them," Nahemow said.

The sad reality of what happened is being met with a "life must go on" attitude, but for those who knew Wax and the others who died in the Tree of Life Synagogue, nothing will ever be the same.

"You see someone like have a heart attack or something, but to be shot like that, that's a shame," Hough said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.