‘Evil did not win’: Pittsburgh's Tree of Life celebrates groundbreaking of new building

PITTSBURGH — The groundbreaking ceremony Sunday for what will soon become the reborn Tree of Life synagogue maintained a keen focus on the past even as it marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Squirrel Hill congregation.

The memories of the 11 Jews killed by an antisemitic gunman at the same site not even six years ago were honored by the speakers and the attendees who vowed to never forget those who were murdered simply for practicing their faith.

But the resiliency of the members of Tree of Life and the two other congregations that came under attack at that building on Oct. 27, 2018 — the deadliest crime against Jews in American history — also was on display.

“Today we announce loudly and clearly to the entire world that evil did not win,” Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said. “It did not chase us from our home, and it never, ever will.”

The approximately 500 people at the ceremony crowded beneath a massive white tent in place along Wilkins Avenue where a portion of the synagogue formerly stood. Demolition of that part of the building, where the attack largely occurred, took place earlier this year.

A new structure designed by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind will soon begin to rise in that location and will include a memorial, a center for Jewish life, a museum and education center, and an institute for countering hate and antisemitism. While a full timeline for the opening of the building has not been laid out, Rabbi Myers said on Sunday he looked forward to welcoming the community to the synagogue in 2½ years.

“As we embark on this next chapter in our journey forward, our hope is that the Tree of Life becomes a beacon of hope, a symbol of resilience in this community, and a call not only to take bold actions against extreme forms of bias but a beckoning to all of us to do one extra good deed each day in honor of each of the 11 who were taken from us,” said Jeffrey Solomon, a board member of the Tree of Life rebuilding committee.

The amount of money that has been raised for the project has not been made public, but the ceremony program listed 10 entities that donated more than $1 million and 41 organizations and individuals who gave more than $100,000.

It took more than financial support to get the Tree of Life community to this point.

Alan Hausman, president of Tree of Life, remembered the diverse communities that stood in solidarity with Pittsburgh’s Jewish population in the wake of the massacre. He noted the friendship formed between his congregation and Shadyside’s Calvary Episcopal Church, which allowed Tree of Life to hold its High Holiday services at the church the year following the shooting.

“Thank you to every one of you here today for your support, your care, your partnership that you have offered the survivors, victims’ families and all of us who were impacted on that horrific day five years ago,” Hausman said. “While the tragedies of Oct. 27 will forever be in our memories, the way that our community responded in the hours and the days after are what have gotten us here today, celebrating a new chapter for this holy site.”

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, who emceed the event, also recalled the way that the victims, survivors and their families were embraced in the aftermath of the shooting.

“This community captivated the nation, and we watched together as the people of Pittsburgh and around the world embraced you in the spirit of mourning and rebuilding,” he said.

Mayor Ed Gainey, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, U.S. Rep Summer Lee (D-12th District) and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) were among the many dignitaries in attendance at the ceremony. Doug Emhoff, second gentleman of the United States, and Gov. Josh Shapiro also provided remarks.

Shapiro, who was the state’s attorney general at the time of the massacre, said he had an opportunity to visit the site of the attack, where he saw a bullet-riddled altar, the path where Rabbi Myers and others escaped the synagogue, and art from students from 2018 still hanging on the walls. That day, he said, he brought his college-age daughter, Sophia, along with him so that she, too, could bear witness.

“Each of us has a responsibility to continue to share the stories of that day, who we lost, and of the resilience that followed,” he said. “That responsibility is especially important in this particular moment. Far too many people in today’s world either ignore or fail to learn from the atrocities of the past. Some even seem hellbent on repeating it. But it’s on all of us to remember our shared history, to learn from it.”

The ceremony concluded with victims’ families, shooting survivors, first responders and other officials stomping on glass in the tradition of Jewish weddings, symbolizing the importance of remembering the pain of the past even while experiencing times of joy.

Diane Rosenthal, whose brothers Cecil and David were killed in the shooting, said that even on Sunday she could feel their presence around her. Her brothers attended services at the synagogue every Saturday and served as greeters, helping to pass out prayer books and assisting however else they could.

When the new building opens, she said, it will be a place to remember the lives that were taken as well as a testament to the strength of the Jewish community.

“My hope is that this new chapter will be an opportunity to welcome more people in,” Rosenthal said, “just as my brothers, Cecil and David, once welcomed everyone who came here to the Tree of Life.”