Editorial: Tearing down the old Tree of Life is a chance to rebuild memories
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The building that stood at the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues in Squirrel Hill was part of countless beautiful memories over 66 years.
While the history of Jewish worship in Pittsburgh begins its story in the 19th century, it was in the wake of World War II that a mid-century edifice fronted by a glory of seven panels of stained glass took shape. According to the Senator John Heinz History Center, the land was donated by Tree of Life’s president, Charles J. Rosenbloom. He also gave a piece of limestone from Palestine to be the cornerstone.
The gray-white structure saw worshippers celebrate holidays. They observed the Sabbath. There were weddings. There were funerals. Children learned the faith and stood before their family and friends, reading the words that accepted that religion as their own.
On Oct. 27, 2018, the beautiful memories were veiled by mourning, like a mirror covered after a death for the Jewish practice of sitting shiva. The Tree of Life Or L’Simcha synagogue and the other congregations who worshipped there — Dor Hadash and New Light — were victims of the most deadly antisemitic attack on American soil.
Eleven people gathering for worship on a Saturday morning died. More were wounded. A building dedicated to joy, hope, faith and peace became a crime scene.
In the five years since, it changed more. It was not used for worship anymore. It was part gravestone, part ghost. It held the memory of the people who died there who should never be forgotten. At the same time, it was a terrible reminder of the hatred and malice that went into the savage attack.
For months in 2023, the criminal case of Robert Bowers finally played out, ending in his death sentence being delivered in August. It wasn’t the end everyone wanted; even some members of the congregations affected opposed capital punishment for the crime. An end does allow healing, though.
But how do you heal from that kind of horror? The answer is with a fresh start.
On Wednesday, demolition of the structure began. A 45,000-square-foot facility will replace it. The new building will not be just a new house of worship. It also will be a memorial to the 11 lives lost.
It will serve as a monument to the beautiful memories that were built in the old Tree of Life and an opportunity to create new ones.