Tree of Life unveils new campaign ‘Rooted in Humanity’

The Tree of Life has kicked off a new campaign focused on building community and forging relationships.

The campaign, “Rooted in Humanity,” began with the release of a video highlighting the community’s response to the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Carole Zawatsky, The Tree of Life CEO, said the organization has spent the last several years working with institutions, private donors and various government agencies to raise funds and build awareness of the building and programs The Tree of Life will create to combat hate and antisemitism.

Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

Now, Zawatsky said, is the time for the public to get involved.

“This is the time; we are moving to a public phase of the campaign. It is time to say, ‘Count me in,’” she said. “What is happening in Pittsburgh is exciting. It is a model for the rest of the nation. Join us.”

Zawatsky said that every gift, no matter the amount, is appreciated by the Tree of Life.

“I have often said, ‘You cannot build community with million-dollar gifts, but you can’t build a building without million-dollar gifts’,” she said. “Now we’re asking the community to join us and be part of this incredible and exciting new initiative of The Tree of Life.”

To mark the start of the campaign, The Tree of Life has added a new fence wrap surrounding the building’s footprint featuring images of some of the thousands of gifts left outside the building or sent to the three congregations — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life —that were targeted in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, as well as artwork from students across the country.

The wrap also includes panels highlighting the theme of the campaign and various attributes of the organization — “rooted in courage,” “rooted in tribute,” “rooted in resilience,” “rooted in memory,” and “rooted in compassion” — before the last frame naming the campaign, “rooted in humanity.”

The new building’s construction is scheduled to begin in early 2026. Designed by Studio Libeskind and architect Daniel Libeskind, and assisted by local architect IKM, the building will take approximately 15 months to complete.

When finished, the building will house and support the work of The Tree of Life organization, which is centered on four pillars:

• Memorialization, to remember the lives of those taken on Oct. 27.

• Education, including the Holocaust Center and the LIGHT Education Initiative, as well as a museum telling the history of antisemitism in America.

• Jewish life and culture, consisting of the Tree of Life Congregation and programming for Jews and non-Jews alike.

• A platform for national discussions, featuring programming like the traveling exhibition “Lessons from the Tree of Life: Lighting the Path Forward.”

The lack of a building has not stopped The Tree of Life from creating programming. Most recently it hosted a discussion between Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bret Stephens and author Pamela Nadell. The pair discussed Nadell’s new book “Antisemitism, An American Tradition.”

“Lessons from The Tree of Life: Lighting the Path Forward,” a traveling exhibition opened earlier this year and is making its way around the country, offering a preview of the museum that will be housed in the new building.

Both the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and LIGHT Initiative — currently in 35 schools —continue to create programming, as well.

“The Tree of Life will be a place for dynamic, robust, exciting Jewish life and celebration,” Zawatsky said, while noting that it will also honor the 11 victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

To date, more than $46 million has been raised to rebuild and reimagine The Tree of Life. Donors include the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Henry Hillman Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, the PNC Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The project also has received funding through federal grants secured by the Pennsylvania congressional delegation and through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

The goal is to raise a total of $60 million, Zawatsky said, noting that a sizable portion of that money will go toward programming and enabling the organization to “create an institution that will be sustainable.”

“The more dollars we bring at the front, the stronger the institution is, the more robust our finances and the more successful we’ll be in bringing incredible programs to the community on an ongoing basis,” she said.

The hope of the campaign, she said, is to invite more people to participate in The Tree of Life through remembrance, educational opportunities and bridge-building activities rooted in shared values.

“It’s a very exciting time,” she said. “We are at the crest of a precipice in a very beautiful way. We have a new building design that truly speaks to the programmatic work that we are creating for the Tree of Life.

“The community is at the core of what we’re doing.” PJC

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