May 22, 2026 | 6 Sivan 5786
Candlelighting 8:18 p.m. | Havdalah 9:25 p.m. | Vol. 69, No. 21 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Recognizing student athletes
Western Pennsylvania Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Page 2
LOCAL
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‘Bringing Jewish life back’ to the Tree of Life corner of Shady and Wilkins Congregation welcomes nearly 50 new families as it plots its future By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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A Marathon win
in construction at the site, as did Dunham reGroup’s Craig Dunham, who serves as the owner’s representative for the project, coordinating with the architecture and construction teams. Dunham said the current phase of the project began in April and will continue through most of the summer, encompassing demolition and preparation of the building for upcoming work, including the removal of the bimah and floor, new utility lines and replacing a fence along a neighbor’s property line. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall and is slated to be completed in 2028. Libeskind was hired as the project’s architect in 2021, along with local firm Rothschild Doyno Collaborative. Last fall, it was announced the initial design plans had been scaled back and that IKM Architecture had come aboard as the local architect. The revised building plan includes a reimagined façade; a 300-seat state-ofthe-art sanctuary/theater that will provide space for both religious and cultural programming, and will include Tree of Life Congregation’s stained glass windows; and a memorial outside the building, designed by Studio Libeskind and the Memorial Working
hat will the addition of nearly 50 new young families mean for Tree of Life Congregation? The question remains open as both longtime and new members chart a path forward together. On May 12 — Lag B’Omer — 48 families joined Tree of Life Congregation, en masse. The genesis of the influx began last November, according to Greer Donley, one of Tree of Life’s new members, when several families with children who were beginning to think about Hebrew school began having conversations about what they were looking for in a Jewish institution. Most of those families were not affiliated with another congregation. “There were probably 15 of us, representing 12 to 15 families,” she recalled. “The point was to see if there was some sort of vision alignment and should we do something about it.” The group found common ground in its search for participatory services that included music. Paramount among their wishes was a Jewish home that would welcome interfaith families. While no single congregation or model served as an all-inclusive example, Donley said she was inspired by Sixth and I in Washington, D.C., and Romemu in New York, both of which she attended before moving to Pittsburgh. Several local options were considered, but nothing felt right until a chance meeting between Donley and Zach Schwartz, a Tree of Life board member, at Mayor Corey O’Connor’s inauguration.
Please see Tree of Life, page 10
Please see Congregation, page 10
The original Tree of Life synagogue structure remains on the lot awaiting construction to begin. Photo by David Rullo
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Meet Jewish goat farmer Will Loevner Page 3
LOCAL Taking comfort, bringing comfort
Israeli war vets visit Pittsburgh Page 4
HOLIDAYS What goes with cheesecake?
Wine pairings for Shavuot Page 15
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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he Tree of Life has taken another step forward in its transformation. And while the corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues appears much the same as it has for the last several years — with the remains of the original Tree of Life synagogue still overlooking the vacant lot where ground was ceremoniously broken nearly two years ago — the interior of the building tells a different story. Only the frame of the edifice remains, leaving behind a cavernous empty space awaiting transformation into The Tree of Life organization’s ambitious new center, designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. Plans call for classrooms, a modern auditorium, and a museum and memorial dedicated to the victims of the Oct. 27, 2018, Pittsburgh synagogue shooting — the most violent antisemitic attack in United States history. “How do you tell the story of the murder of 11 worshippers who woke on a Sabbath morning to come to their synagogue, to their community, to come together and pray and now they’re gone?” asked Carole Zawatsky. Zawatsky is the chief executive officer of The Tree of Life. She spoke at a May 14 news conference introducing the next steps
Chag Sameach!
Victor Moussa/Adobe Stock