November 4, 2022 | 10 Cheshvan 5783
Candlelighting 5:55 p.m. | Havdalah 6:54 p.m. | Vol. 65, No. 44 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
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Pittsburgh gathers to remember, Pittsburghers honor the victims of Oct. 27 pay respects at Tree of Life building on Oct. 27
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Philanthropy through history and ecology
Burton Ziskind bolsters outdoor sites in Pittsburgh...and Israel Page 2
LOCAL New Jewish Agency head visits Pittsburgh Survivors and witnesses of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting recite Psalm 23 at the commemoration event on Oct. 27. Photo by Joshua Franzos By David Rullo | Staff Writer
Doron Almog shares his vision for the future
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LOCAL A sweet remembrance
Temple David bakes and delivers Rose Mallinger’s sugar cookies
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everal hundred Pittsburgh community members gathered on Oct. 27 beneath a sun-filled sky, surrounded by bright autumn foliage at Schenley Park, to remember the 11 Jewish men and women killed four years ago in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. “It is our sacred duty to remember,” Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Director Lauren Bairnsfather said during closing remarks at the commemoration ceremony. “I am grateful to be part of a community where individuals have been willing to see that we have much more that connects us than could ever divide us.” The interfaith event was hosted by 10.27 Healing Partnership Director Maggie Feinstein and was attended by survivors of the attack, family members of those murdered, local Jewish lay leaders, rabbis, politicians and members of the Jewish community at large. “We all stand here together,” Feinstein said, opening the ceremony, “because we remember that we are stronger together. Neighbors, religious and secular leaders have loudly stated that antisemitism has no place in Pittsburgh.” Eleven candles were lit to begin the service in memory of those killed at the Tree of Life building: Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried,
Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger. The victims were members of the three congregations housed in the building: Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation and Tree of Life Congregation. Rabbi Amy Bardack, formerly of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and now a rabbi at Congregation Dor Hadash, sang “El Malei Rahamim,” a prayer for the dead often chanted at funerals or at graveside visits. Bardack said her new role meant focusing on the members of the congregation rather than the community as a whole. She spent much of the day offering pastoral care. Dor Hadash continues to heal while tackling the work of reconnection following the COVID-19 pandemic, Bardack said, adding that the congregation will hold another service on the Hebrew yahrzeit of those murdered. Two choirs were featured during the ceremony. The Pittsburgh Youth Choir sang “Peace Round,” “Let There Be Peace on Earth” and “Now I Walk in Beauty.” The Rodman Street Baptist Choir offered renditions of “I Need You to Survive” and “The Blessing.” Feinstein said the decision to have two choirs Please see Event, page 7
Edward and Diane Cordisco bring flowers to the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2022. Photo by Adam Reinherz By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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eighbors, strangers, communal servants and students visited the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27. Some parties traveled en masse — like a group from Yeshiva Girls High School that recited Psalms and encouraged passersby to “bring light to darkness.” Other visitors arrived alone or in pairs — some with flowers to leave along the fence bordering Shady and Wilkins avenues; some came with pastries and other tokens of appreciation and remembrance. People brought dogs, stress balls and other things of comfort. Runners — several of whom regularly pass the busy intersection — paused to pay respects; others stopped to gain centeredness and perspective. As the cool morning temperatures and ashen skies gave way to afternoon sun and blanketing warmth, Pittsburghers once again made their way to a shuttered Squirrel Hill synagogue in remembrance of 11 Jews from Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation and Tree Please see Building, page 17
Party and Event Planning kucherav/Adobe Stock
Special section Nov. 11