Woman killed in shooting was leader in Jewish community

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, July 30, 2006

SEATTLE – The woman killed when a man opened fire at a Jewish center converted to Judaism when she was married, then became more active in the Jewish community than her husband.

Pamela Waechter, 58, rose from secretary to serve as president of Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue from 1988-90.

Bill Waechter, who remained friends with her after their divorce, recalled loud, shouting meetings of the temple’s board that took place in their home, while he was in the other room watching television.

“I’d hear her give her opinion, and everybody would shut up and listen,” Waechter told a Seattle newspaper. “It was amazing how she would command the attention of all these old guys.”

Police say Naveed Afzal Haq, 30, forced his way into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle on Friday afternoon and began shooting, killing Waechter and wounding five other women. He was ordered held on $50 million bail Saturday pending formal charges of murder and attempted murder.

Christina Rexroad, 29, of Everett, was one of six women shot Friday. She remained in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after surgery Sunday, according a hospital spokeswoman. Two other women who sustained serious gunshot wounds were also in serious condition on Sunday after both undergoing surgery. Two women with injuries that were not life-threatening asked hospital staff not to share information on their status, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said.

A Muslim from the Tri-Cities area of south-central Washington, Haq, 30, told authorities he was angered by the war in Iraq and U.S. military cooperation with Israel.

On Sunday, between 100 and 150 Jewish leaders and teachers met with city officials and police at the Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island to discuss mutual support and security, said Robin Boehler, lay leader of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Another meeting on security is planned next month, she said.

Similar concerns were being raised around the country. In Pittsburgh, Mayor Bob O’Connor ordered increased police protection for Jewish facilities.

On Sunday, a few doors down from federation offices in downtown Seattle, Ruslan Tokchjakov of Redmond – originally from Russia – stood for hours with a cardboard sign that read in part: “I am a Muslim but today I am a Jew. … Deport Islamifacists. Hamas and Hezbollah go to Iran.”

Rabbi Jim Mirel of Temple B’nai Torah said Waechter’s death is a loss to the Jewish community, not just his synagogue.

“I think of her as an inspiration,” Mirel said. “I know there will not be a day for the rest of my life I will not think of her.”

Pam Waechter grew up in Minneapolis as a Lutheran, the daughter of a businessman. She and her husband moved to Seattle in 1979. After raising their two children, Pam Waechter graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in nutrition.

Before joining the staff at the federation, where she most recently was director of the annual fundraising campaign, Pamela Waechter worked for four years at Jewish Family Service, where she managed a food bank and served as an emergency services caseworker and volunteer coordinator, according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s Web site.

In her eight years at the federation, Waechter’s jobs included outreach coordinator, director of special events and various fundraising posts, the Web site said.

In both her paid and volunteer work, she was known as a mediator, always bringing a calm, balanced approach to problems.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Pam stepped in to protect other people,” said Marshall Brumer, a past president of Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue. “That’s the kind of person she was.”

At Temple B’nai Torah Saturday morning, Rabbi James Mirel called Waechter “the most positive, optimistic person you ever met.” From the pulpit, he told the congregation, “Pam would have said, ‘You have to go on.’ “

Chuck Hall, 56, of Minneapolis, explained that “no” was the one word his sister wouldn’t say. He described her as a friend to people of all ages.

She also was one of his closest friends. Last week, Hall brought up the conflict in the Middle East, asking when would it ever end. She had no answer – just sighed.

Waechter’s funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at Temple B’nai Torah. The service will be open to the public.

Herald reporter Lukas Velush contributed to this story.