Swarthmore College President Responds to Anti-Israel Divestment Resolution
Israel’s David’s Sling Missile Defense System Said to Successfully Complete Series of Tests
Flyers Targeting LA Schools Equate Jewish Star With Swastika, Condemn ‘Jewish Zionist Militia’ in ‘Land of Palestine’
Israeli Air Force Hits Palestinian Incendiary Balloon-Launching Squads on Gaza Border
New Group Seeks to Bolster Support for Israel in US Congress
UK Labour Antisemitism Crisis Intensifies as Jewish Group Tied to Party Plans No-Confidence Vote Against Corbyn
Berlin Jewish Museum Says It Has ‘No Specific Plans’ to Cooperate With Iran, Following Criticism of Meeting With Tehran Regime Envoy
Israeli Agriculture Tech Fund Copia Raises $27 Million
Right-Wing Israeli Campaign Ad Seeks to Make Political Point With ‘Fascism’ Perfume
Arizona’s Grayhawk Capital Looking to Invest in Israeli Companies With Launch of $75 Million Early Growth Fund
Pittsburgh Synagogue Celebrates ‘First Happy Occasion’ Since Deadly Mass Shooting
by Shiryn Ghermezian
People pray at a makeshift memorial near the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Oct. 31, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Cathal McNaughton.
Congregants recently gathered for the “first happy occasion” at the Tree Of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh since the Oct. 27 massacre in which 11 worshipers were murdered by a neo-Nazi gunman, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
The community celebrated the bar mitzvah of the son of congregation president Sam Schachner on the weekend of Dec. 15.
During the bar mitzvah service, some relatives of the victims of the shooting were given the honor to stand in front for the reading of the Torah. Schachner explained, “We wanted to honor and remember them.”
That same weekend, the New England Patriots were in town to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft visited Tree of Life in a show of support. Kraft also gave the Schachner family tickets to see the game, which the Steelers won.
Related coverage
Schachner told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette of the aftermath of the attack, “I think we’re doing quite well. Trauma is not something you quickly recover from, and we’ve had a severe trauma.”
The Tree of Life congregation is temporarily using the space of two nearby synagogues for its activities and services, according to the report.
J Street’s New Trip to Israel Pushes a Political Agenda
On the Golan, Iran Talks, Israel Walks
Flyers Targeting LA Schools Equate Jewish Star With Swastika, Condemn ‘Jewish Zionist Militia’ in ‘Land of Palestine’
Does Saudi Arabia Really Want Regime Change in Iran?
Israel’s Other Founding Fathers and a Vanquished World