Community members, survivors and loved ones gather at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting where 11 worshippers were killed at the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018: Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, David Rosenthal, Cecil Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Dan Stein, Irving Younger and Melvin Wax.
The well-attended memorial did not have enough seats for the large audience, and many filtered to the back of the room before the program began. When it did, the once-bustling crowd fell silent to watch as loved ones of the victims lit candles in their honor as each name was read aloud.
Nicole Vasquez Schmitt, an assistant U.S attorney who prosecuted the gunman in the 2023 trial that determined he would receive the death penalty, sang “Hallelujah” and “A Million Dreams” alongside her son Hudson and keyboardist Shay Carter.
The shooting was the deadliest attack on Jewish people in American history, and many program speakers addressed the issue of antisemitism. This month, a plaque memorializing the 11 worshippers was stolen from outside Taylor Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill.
Asher Goodwin and Ilan Gordon, two University of Pittsburgh students who were assaulted while walking to Shabbat service on Aug. 30, spoke about antisemitism in Pittsburgh before reciting “Mi Sheberach,” a prayer for healing.
Steven Wedner, Amy Mallinger and Eric Mallinger, grandchildren of victim Rose Mallinger, read the prayer for peace in their grandmother’s honor. Every Shabbat, Rose Mallinger led the prayer for peace before she was killed.
At the end of the program, Feinstein encouraged the audience to turn to the person next to them and share a hug.
Outside, a plethora of memorial displays decorated the Jewish Community Center, including art created by local students.
The bouquets that were placed by community members outside the Tree of Life building in the days and weeks following the shooting had been dried and kept privately at the Rauh Jewish Archives. The memorial was the first time they had been shown publicly.
The day of the memorial, fresh bouquets and a wreath stood outside the Tree of Life building.
Three congregations — New Light, Dor Hadash and Tree of Light*Or L’Simcha — worshipped in the Tree of Life building. Now, the synagogue is set to become a memorial and educational site for the shooting.
Abigail Hakas can best be reached at [email protected].
