Tree of Life exhibit displayed in Senate rotunda in Washington

The tragedy of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting still rests heavy on the hearts of the region nearly six years later, but its memory may not be as powerful outside of Pittsburgh.

A traveling exhibit now on display at a U.S. Senate building in Washington, D.C., hopes to remind people of Oct. 27, 2018 at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill.

The exhibit currently fills the marble rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building across from the Capitol and lasts through Friday, according to The Washington Post.

Visitors can view mementos that were left at the Tree of Life synagogue by mourners, such as embroidered prayer squares and a cross-stitch emblem bearing the words, “You will be remembered.” A Jewish prayer book called a siddur that was ripped through by a bullet from the gunman is on display.

I’m honored to help Tree of Life share its story in Congress this week in a special exhibit. The Tree of Life community is lighting the path forward and I will never stop working alongside them to fight against antisemitism and to honor and remember those we lost back in 2018. pic.twitter.com/fWjYPPjFup

— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 6, 2024

For some visitors, it was their first exposure to the story of 11 Jewish congregants murdered by Robert Bowers, who was convicted of federal hate crime charges last year.

“There’s so much happening in the world, certainly with antisemitism and gun control and so much more, so I love that we find ways to highlight and remind people what’s happening,” said Meagan Fuscaldo told The Washington Post on her visit to the Senate Building on Wednesday.

Fuscaldo, a health care worker from Northern Virginia, said she wasn’t aware of the mass shooting until the exhibit.

“On one hand, I feel embarrassed that I didn’t remember,” she said, “but then again, when you think about how many shootings we have in a year, how can I stay in-the-know about every single one?”

The display was created by Carlo Maggiora, a freelance museum designer.

The display comes on the heels of the Tree of Life securing $1 million in federal funding to help combat antisemitism through education.

Tree of Life CEO Carole Zawatsky told The Washington Post the exhibit’s purpose is not to cast any blame, but to remind lawmakers of the dangers of antisemitism at home and abroad.

“Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem, it’s an American problem. We see it all around us, coming from the right and coming from the left — coming from extremists on both sides,” she told the Post.

Both Pennsylvania senators — Bob Casey and John Fetterman — visited the exhibit on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post.

Fetterman met with Zawatsky and Howard Fienberg, whose mother, Joyce Fienberg, was killed in the 2018 shooting.

He told them, “No one would have wanted that tragedy, but the way you responded was a triumph,” according to the Post.