Tree of Life healing group to extend operations

A group created to provide mental health support and healing after the Tree of Life mass shooting plans to extend its work through 2028.

The 10.27 Healing Partnership group said it has completed 716 individual counseling encounters, 883 counselor-led group therapy encounters, 212 community presentations, and reached nearly 10,000 individuals through its social media accounts and website in the aftermath of the Oct. 27, 2018 shooting. The group organizes the annual Commemoration Ceremony, which happens every year on Oct. 27, the anniversary of the attack.

The group said it decided to announce the service extension because the upcoming trial for the accused shooter, Robert Bowers, will be taking place in April, and it will likely be a traumatic time for survivors, victims’ families, and the greater community.

“The next few months are likely to be particularly challenging and retraumatizing for our community. People are apprehensive about the upcoming legal proceedings, and in October we will recognize the fifth commemoration of the 2018 attack,” said Maggie Feinstein, Director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership. “We want to be loud and clear: the 10.27 Healing Partnership is here for the community and plans to be here for the next five years.”

The 10.27 Healing Partnership is located in the Squirrel Hill branch of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. The group said it plans to operate through the 10-year commemoration of the Tree of Life shooting. It provides therapy, education and a community space to reflect.

Carol Black’s brother, Richard Gottfried, was shot and killed in the synagogue. A survivor of the incident, she was one of nearly 60 people who participated in 10.27 Healing Partnership’s strategic plan and said that counseling has helped her recover from losing her brother.

At first, healing seemed impossible,” Black said in a press release. “The 10.27 Healing Partnership supported me for years with counseling services, and they continue to honor my brother’s memory by holding a space for the commemoration.”

Andrea Wedner was worshipping inside when a gunman entered the Wilkins Avenue synagogue. She was injured. Her 97-year-old mother, Rose Mallinger, was killed.

“I am grateful that the 10.27 Healing Partnership is seeking to stay open for another five years as we all will continue our healing journey after the trial is over,” she said.

The Healing Partnership’s funding — which has been provided through a federal Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) grant — will run out Sept. 30. The group is seeking other funding sources, including private donations and public money, to continue its mission.

State Representative Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, represents the district home to the Tree of Life synagogue. He said continuing to support the partnership is important because the community is still grieving and healing from the shooting.

Those interested in supporting the work of the 10.27 Healing Partnership are invited to contact info@1027healingpartnership.org.