New Light Congregation to host 'The Meaning of Forgiveness' discussion in Pittsburgh

How do survivors of a mass shooting forgive the shooter? Does it help the healing process?

These are among the questions to be addressed when New Light Congregation hosts “The Meaning of Forgiveness: An Evening with Author Jennifer Berry Hawes.” The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on April 13 at the Jewish Community Center’s Katz Auditorium in Squirrel Hill.

Three members of New Light Congregation were among 11 people killed in the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill.

Hawes’ recently published book, “Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness,” provides an account of the Charleston, S.C., church shooting. On June 17, 2015, nine members of the historic Emanuel African Methodist Church were shot to death by 21-year-old gunman Dylann Roof.

Hawes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Post and Courier in Charleston, conducted extensive interviews with grieving families and other key figures for her book.

The April discussion, moderated by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle CEO and publisher Jim Busis, will feature Hawes and New Light Congregation Rabbi Jonathan Perlman addressing the concept of forgiveness following a mass shooting event. How did the survivors of the Charleston massacre react to the shooter? Did forgiving the shooter help heal the wounds from the attack?

A question and answer period will follow the presentations.