Please understand: Conservative Judaism is not the same as political conservatism

In Pittsburgh on Saturday, a gunman opened fire at the city's Tree of Life synagogue.

At least 12 people were shot and at least four people killed at the Conservative congregation. As news began to spread of a shooting at the "conservative" house of worship, commentators on Twitter noted the difference between Conservative Judaism as a religious denomination and conservatism as a political philosophy.

In short, there's no relationship between the two. While there are politically conservative Jews who also attend Conservative synagogues, there are also politically liberal Jews who attend services at those same synagogues.

Conservative Judaism falls into the middleground between the belief structures of Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism. It is the second largest Jewish denomination in the United States, right behind Reform Judaism. The denomination is organized around traditional Jewish teachings analyzed with a contemporary lens.

To ensure that outside observers understood these critical nuances, people on Twitter spoke out about the faith. Here's how some described it:

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Researchers recently detected a spike in anti-Semitic posts in the far right on Instagram and on Twitter. The posts arrived just weeks before the November midterms. A similar spike in anti-Semitic posts happened right before the 2016 election.

Events like what happened in Pittsburgh don't occur in a vacuum. It's easy to draw a direct line from the culture of hate that Donald Trump fosters to the domestic terror activities of the past week, Saturday's included. Just remember: Provable facts are the best way to push back against fake news.