There’s no mystery to who donated to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh
Mystery Lovers Bookshop makes end of year donation to Jewish not for profit
There’s no mystery whose Chanukah gift list the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh was on this year.
Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont recently donated more than $1,000 to the Jewish nonprofit as part of an annual tradition that goes back more than 30 years, according to the store’s co-owner Tara Goldberg-DeLeo.
Each year, Mystery Lovers receives advance reader copies of books before they are published. The store is not allowed to sell these books, so once a year, they are placed on a table for customers to take for free. The store includes a donation jar next to the books and asks people to donate something, if they are able. The donations are earmarked for a particular nonprofit or charity that is clearly noted.
This year, the designee was the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.
“People were extremely generous this year,” Goldberg-DeLeo said. “It was really heartwarming to see the generosity of people.”
Goldberg-DeLeo, who is Jewish, said the Holocaust Center was chosen because of the rise in antisemitism.
“We thought now was a good time to show our support against antisemitism,” she said.
Emily Loeb, the Holocaust Center’s director of programs and education, said it’s not often that a local business decides to make the center the recipient of its major annual fundraising event.
“It was really touching,” she said. “It was truly a mitzvah on their part.”
Loeb stressed that the Holocaust Center did not solicit the donation, but as a small nonprofit, the gift means a lot.
“This is a huge deal,” she said.
Loeb said she was touched to find out that this was the store’s largest fundraiser to date.
“They do this every year and they say this is the most money they’ve raised,” she said.
And while it would be easy in this day and age to receive the donation in the mail or online, Loeb felt a visit to the store was in order.
“It was such a touching thing that they did, thinking of us and recognizing what’s going on in the world and how important it is to recognize antisemitism,” she said. “It’s great to be recognized for the good work that we’re doing in the community.”
Loeb said the Holocaust Center has worked diligently this year to develop innovative programs for a broad audience that not only educate about the Holocaust, but that also apply the lessons of the Holocaust to issues being faced today.
And Loeb is excited about the creation of a new community partnership.
“It’s making connections with people in the community who we weren’t even aware of following what we were doing,” she said.
For Goldberg-DeLeo, the kindness of the community never ceases to surprise her.
“We really appreciate the generosity of everyone that came in and we continue to support different communities,” she said. “We really hope to support all types of communities.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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