Eight years after the Tree of Life shooting, Pittsburgh is remembering the 11 victims and teaching the next generation about hate.
For Ron Wedner, he tells KDKA Radio, the October 27, 2018, attack is deeply personal.
“My wife Andrea Wedner, my mother-in-law, Rose Mallinger were in the building that morning, said Wedner. “My wife Andrea was severely injured, spent 10 days in the hospital after the shooting and has had five surgeries and is still recovering. My mother-in-law Ros did not survive the shooting and was one of the 11 that were in there, murdered because they were Jews on a peaceful Shabbat morning.”
Wedner says students will help honor the victims through artwork and advocacy projects focused on fighting antisemitism.
The public is invited to the commemoration from 6:30 to 7:30 Tuesday night at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill.
The other 10 people that were killed on that day:
Joyce Fienberg
Richard Gottfried
Jerry Rabinowitz
Cecil Rosenthal
David Rosenthal
Bernice Simon
Sylvan Simon
Daniel Stein
Melvin Wax
Irving Younger
Tree of Life announced a new name last month. It's now The Tree of Life Center for Humanity.
The center aims to counter antisemitism and hate by building community across differences.
“Our name draws inspiration from how Pittsburghers of all backgrounds rallied around the Jewish community in the wake of October 27, 2018, to resoundingly oppose antisemitism and hate,” the center wrote on Facebook. “It represents the commitment at the heart of our mission to build compassionate communities rooted in our shared humanity as a part of our effort to heal persistent wounds and divisions.”
More than $51 million has been raised to rebuild and reimagine the center which is slated to open in 2028. Watch the video below featuring actor Tom Hanks, "who served on the honorary cabinet for the Remember."
