Audrey Glickman, a survivor, sounds the shofar during the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Tree of Life complex in Pittsburgh on June 23. The new structure is replacing the Tree of Life synagogue where 11 worshipers were murdered in 2018 in the deadliest act of antisemitism in U.S. history.Rebecca Droke/The Associated Press
There were roadblocks at the corner of Wilkins and Murray Avenues, just as there were that day. There was a large police presence, just as there was that day. There was a clutch of reporters at the curb, just as there was that day.
“That day” is the preferred Pittsburgh shorthand for what happened 5½ years ago at the Tree of Life synagogue, when the Jewish place of worship was the scene of the worst antisemitic act in North American history. That day, there were no weapons-sniffing dogs checking backpacks the way they did Sunday, when the congregation whose 11 members died in that attack marked its rebirth.
Had those police dogs been there that day – had those entering the synagogue grounds been checked by security personnel even once, not twice the way they were this steamy morning – all those people, average age 74, would have been saved; the Governor of Pennsylvania and the husband of the Vice-President of the United States would not have been in a sweltering event tent, speaking in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighbourhood of regret and renewal; and Jeffrey Myers, who presided over services that tragic Sabbath morning in October, 2018, would be enjoying the day off that rabbis are granted on Sundays when religious school is adjourned for the summer.
Instead, Rabbi Myers, who spoke of “this desolate place of destruction,” was joined by interfaith clergy from Pittsburgh and around the United States for the groundbreaking of a renewed Tree of Life, one that will be the site of a memorial, sanctuary, education centre, museum and a new Tree of Life Institute for Countering Hate & Antisemitism.
On this occasion, the rabbi offered a blessing that – poignantly, at this time of civic strife and a fresh burst of antisemitism – noted how in their grief in the wake of the attack, the people of Pittsburgh were offered comfort and prayers by those of all faiths. They included Bishop David Zubik, whose flock makes Pittsburgh one of the three most Catholic cities by population in the United States, and executive director Wasi Mohamed of the Pittsburgh Islamic Center, which sits a mere 1.6 kilometres from the scene of the bloody episode.
Both were at the event of commemoration and dedication at the site that housed the Tree of Life synagogue along with Congregation Dor Hadash and New Light Congregation
Recent hate crimes were a prominent part of Sunday’s commemoration. Douglas Emhoff, who is married to Vice-President Kamala Harris, spoke of what he called the “crisis of antisemitism we are seeing.” Governor Josh Shapiro noted the rise in antisemitic incidents and said, in a clear reference to former president Donald Trump, “Some leaders at times offer permission slips to hate.”
The commemoration was held on the vacant lot that once held the chapel where the attack occurred. That part of the synagogue has been demolished, and in the next several years a refreshed Tree of Life will be constructed in a new structure designed by Daniel Libeskind, the architect whose vision took form in the extension to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
Diane Rosenthal, the sister of Cecil and David Rosenthal, disabled men who were greeters at the synagogue and victims there, spoke of “a new chapter at Tree of Life” and “the return of vibrant Jewish life at this corner.” Amy Mallinger, the granddaughter of victim Rose Mallinger, spoke of how she hoped to be married at this site.
One of the victims of the Tree of Life massacre was Joyce Fienberg, who grew up in Toronto and was educated at the University of Toronto. For decades, she has been pictured along with her Confirmation classmates on a wall of honour at Holy Blossom Temple, where she later was married.
“There aren’t many moments like this these days,” Rabbi Myers said in the days leading to the commemoration. In an interview, he referred to the 1982 Hanukkah song Light One Candle, popularized by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary and known for its reprise line, “Don’t let the light go out!/Let it shine through our hope and our tears.”
The rabbi said, “We didn’t let the light go out. There was an attempt to extinguish it. We wouldn’t let that happen. We clung to the light and we spread the light.”
Later this week, the congregation will mark its 160th anniversary.
“In the face of the worst tragedy, we get up and we recreate,” congregation CEO Carole Zawatsky said in an interview. “This is a measure of the strength we have as a people – our capacity to move forward and remember the tragedy.”
David Shribman, a Globe contributing writer, is executive editor emeritus of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and led the reporting on the Tree of Life shooting that won a Pulitzer Prize.