Tree of Life shares vision for memorial and new home, projected to open in 2028

More than 100 community members attended a town hall meeting presented by The Tree of Life, held in Levinson Hall at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh on Aug. 19.

The meeting, facilitated by Maggie Feinstein, executive director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, and Carole Zawatsky, CEO of The Tree of Life, provided an update on development at the building’s site, including plans for its future.

Sharing the podium with Feinstein and Zawatsky were Craig Dunham, Dunham reGroup president and owner representative; Memorialization Working Group members Jo Recht and Diane Rosenthal; Luci Creative members (responsible for the museum exhibits housed in the building); and Tree of Life Congregation President Robin Friedman.

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Recht, a past president of Dor Hadash — one of the three congregations attacked by an antisemitic gunman on Oct. 27, 2018 — recounted the days immediately following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the process of applying for state and federal grants available to communities victimized by gun violence. She also recounted the establishment of the 10.27 Healing Partnership and its vision, as well as the creation of the Memorialization Working Group in early 2021, which was established to honor the victims of the shooting.

The MWG, Recht said, is working with the project’s architect, Studio Libeskind, to finalize details of the memorial.

Fellow MWG member Diane Rosenthal, the sister of Cecil Rosenthal and David Rosenthal — who were murdered during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting — described some of the questions the MWG has addressed, including: Where should the memorial be placed? Does it belong on the original site? Should it be moved to Fox Chapel or Mt. Lebanon? What language and verbiage should be used at the memorial?

The result, Rosenthal said, is the current plan for the memorial at the site of the Tree of Life building in Squirrel Hill.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “Our family, for one, is thrilled that it will come to pass. My brothers spent every Friday night and Saturday morning there.”

After the pair’s presentation, Feinstein shared a rendering of the memorial, which she said is a place that many “might find significant as a space for reflection,” and includes “natural beauty.”

Feinstein closed the MWG portion of the presentation by citing a member’s idea that the 11 Jewish community members who were murdered on Oct. 27 were a blessing to both their biological and congregational families — and that the memorial should give those families a voice.

Dunham next provided an update on The Tree of Life building.

He began his remarks by noting that he lives only a few blocks from the site and considers himself a member of the neighborhood and community.

Dunham explained that the project, originally planned to encompass nearly 40,000 square feet, has been reset to be approximately 26,000 square feet.

“We started working immediately with the project team to realize the programmatic opportunities, the mission and the vision of the site and building within those programmatic spatial constraints and budgetary constraints,” he explained.

Dunham ran through several slides of renderings of the single-story building and the outside property, showing a restored sanctuary/auditorium, exhibit space, lobby, library, social hall, gathering spaces and kitchen. Images also included offices for both The Tree of Life and Tree of Life Congregation, as well as allied organizations, a parking area and a secure courtyard.

The Luci team discussed the exhibits and museum that will be housed in the building.

“The most important thing,” its representative said, is “that this act of murder happened in the place where we are creating this museum. This happened to 11 people who were killed from three congregations.”

Several planned galleries were outlined, including: “Witness,” centering on a 24-hour timeline of the events of Oct. 27, 2018; “Understand,” exploring how the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting could have happened; and a third focusing on how people responded to the violence.

Tree of Life Congregation President Robin Friedman spoke next, noting that the congregation has existed for 163 years.

“Generation after generation has walked through the doors of the building at Wilkins and Shady, and together built the legacy that we now inherit,” she said. “That legacy is in our hands with a new building.”

Friedman said she wants the building to be a place of belonging for the entire community.

“We are speaking about continuity, about ensuring that this 163-year legacy does not end with us but continues stronger, deeper and more alive for generations to come,” she said.

Community questions collected during the meeting were addressed by Dunham and Zawatsky.

The security of building components were addressed by the local architect.

Zawatsky said that gifts left at the site of the shooting by community members would be rotated at the museum. She invited people interested in helping to tell Tree of Life’s story to reach out to her directly.

The Tree of Life building is projected to open in early 2028. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.