(JTA) — A Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony to strengthen and heal the Pittsburgh Jewish community was held outside of the Tree of Life synagogue building. Hundreds gathered Sunday evening around a towering electric menorah in front of the building where 11 worshippers were killed by a gunman during Shabbat morning services. The eight-branched menorah stood in…
(JTA) — “Light will always break through the darkness,” President Donald Trump said in a Presidential Message released for Hanukkah. “Melania and I send our warmest greetings to our Jewish brothers and sisters in the United States, in Israel, and around the world celebrating Hanukkah,” Trump said in the message released on Sunday, hours before…
In The Face Of Tragedy, Act With Humanity The day after the Pittsburgh massacre, Dr. Jeffrey Cohen went to see the man who had killed his friends. Cohen, 63, is a member of the Tree of Life synagogue, and is president of Allegheny General Hospital, where Robert Bowers, the shooter, was taken for treatment. Two…
Choosing Peace Before Politics Rabbi Jeffrey Myers was introduced to the world in a photograph of him being rushed away from the Tree of Life synagogue, with a talit over one shoulder, clutching his kippah to his head. He quickly became the face of Jewish Pittsburgh, speaking at length to the media and eventually taking…
(JTA) — A 70-year-old worshipper who was critically injured in the shooting attack last month at the Tree of Life synagogue building was released from a Pittsburgh hospital. Daniel Leger went from the hospital to its rehabilitation facility, from where he was discharged on Monday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported. His discharge came on the day…
In the aftermath of the Pittsburgh massacre, Jews all over the world sought to make sense of the horror that was the single greatest act of violence targeting Jews in the history of the United States of America. For some people, that meant expressions of solidarity. For some it meant turning to religion, engaging in…
It’s a decision I prayed we would never make. We’ve talked about for months. But, at this point, even I won’t argue with it. From now on, our shul will keep its doors locked at all times. Even during davvening. A locked door is the last thing a person should find at a synagogue. A…
(JTA) — More than 2,000 handmade Stars of David were hung throughout Pittsburgh. The stars, created by more than 1,000 volunteers from around the world, were hung on Saturday by 40 volunteers. Each star – some crocheted, some made with leather – had a heart in the center. The stars were the brainchild of Hinda…
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