After the Tree of Life massacre, an inspiring story of a community coming together
Mark Oppenheimer tells the story of how the Pittsburgh Jewish community rebounded after tragedy
Pittsburgh
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Fast Forward Pittsburgh congregation asks DOJ to reverse course on death penalty for shooter
A Reconstructionist congregation that was housed in the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha building in Pittsburgh targeted in a deadly shooting in 2018 is asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to “abandon its quest for the death penalty” in the case against the accused shooter. In a June 17 letter to Garland, the president of Congregation Dor…
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News Pittsburgh Judaism is undergoing a renaissance. Young queer Jews are leading it.
This story was originally published by PublicSource, a nonprofit media organization delivering local journalism in the Pittsburgh region at publicsource.org. You can sign up for their newsletters at publicsource.org/newsletters. Centuries ago, Tu B’Av was a Jewish holiday for matchmaking. Today, if celebrated at all, the vibe tends to be more Valentine’s Day-esque: it might involve…
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News Zach Banner speaks out for Black and Jewish understanding
Editor’s note: In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Forward is resurfacing some of our recent coverage related to the Black-Jewish experience and racial justice. This article originally appeared in July, 2020. As an offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Zach Banner is paid to throw all six feet, eight inches and 350…
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News 2 years after synagogue shooting, Pittsburgh has become a hub for white supremacists
In the days after the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in American history, Pittsburgh became a symbol of the enduring dangers of hatred, as well as the Jewish communal solidarity that followed the synagogue shooting. Two years later, the city has become a symbol and pilgrimage site of a far more insidious sort: for white supremacists who…
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News 4 years of President Trump: A Jewish report card
As President Trump makes his closing arguments for reelection, the staggering events of the last year loom large. The coronavirus pandemic has, to date, taken more than 230,000 American lives, and the country is mired in the most significant economic downturn since the Great Depression. And, though it now feels like ancient history, Trump in…
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News The second Tree of Life shooting commemoration will bring people together in an age of separation
A global pandemic isn’t keeping the Pittsburgh Jewish community from coming together for a virtual commemoration to honor the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre. The event on Oct. 27 marks two years since the mass shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania claimed the lives of 11 people, the deadliest…
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News I’m the archivist of the Tree of Life shooting. This is how I ‘process’ it.
The attack on October 27, 2018, lasted 83 minutes from the moment the gunman entered the synagogue until the moment the police apprehended him. In the 18 months since that Saturday morning, I have collected 189 boxes of things documenting the impact of those 83 minutes on the Jewish population of Western Pennsylvania. “Things” in…
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Yiddish שילאַ רײַך, באַליבטע ייִדיש־לערערין אין לאָס־אַנדזשעלעס, איז אַוועקSheila Reich, beloved LA Yiddish teacher, has died
אין קלאַס זענען די סטודענטן אָפֿט געווען אױף פֿאַרשידענע ניװאָען אָבער זי האָט זיך אָפּגעגעבן מיט יעדן באַזונדער.