Some Jewish residents of Pittsburgh were expressing concerns about anti-Semitism long before their city experienced one of the deadliest attacks against the Jewish community in U.S. history.

Last year, people in Squirrel Hill, a neighborhood at the center of the citys Jewish life, found neo-Nazi and white supremacist propaganda on park benches, playground slides and car windshields .

A 2017 study conducted by Brandeis University estimated that 70 percent of Pittsburghs Jewish community was a little or somewhat concerned about anti-Semitism occurring in their neighborhoods. Sixteen percent said they had recently experienced anti-Semitism directly, with most describing the incidents as minor microaggressions.

Now, the deadly mass shooting at Pittsburghs Tree of Life synagogue has thrown a spotlight on American Jewish leaders urgent warnings that the resurgence of anti-Semitic rhetoric cannot be ignored.