Seeds of hope from the Tree of Life
The continuing work of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit
After weeks of painful testimony, a federal jury confirmed that the brutal Oct. 27, 2018, Pittsburgh synagogue attack, which took the lives of 11 worshippers from three different congregations — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha — was carried out by a person so driven by his deep hatred of Jews that he used high-powered guns to slaughter innocent people. This was the most deadly antisemitic attack in U.S. history, and world attention was focused on Pittsburgh.
As people around the globe reeled in disbelief at what the Post-Gazette’s banner headline called the “Squirrel Hill Massacre,” they also saw Pittsburgh unite in opposition to the hate that had emerged in our midst.
Stronger than hate
Rabbi Dr. Danny Schiff wrote in the Washington Post that “loving individuals of every background have embraced Jews tightly in multiple overwhelming ways [and] have declared loudly and emphatically that they will stand by Jews. This breathtaking and profoundly moving reality is virtually unparalleled in the Jewish experience.”
The author Bari Weiss, whose bat mitzvah was held in the Tree of Life synagogue, said in the New York Times, “Anyone who [knows] Squirrel Hill ... will not be surprised to know how the community responded to this disaster ... Jews and gentiles alike ran toward the fire.”
That same spirit characterizes Pittsburgh today, as multiple organizations — including the 10/27 Healing Partnership, Tree of Life Inc. and Collaboratory Against Hate — provide continuing comfort to victims and pursue efforts to counter antisemitism and violence driven by hate.
The two of us are most closely linked to the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, which provides a unique, multidisciplinary forum to drive the development and deployment of effective solutions to reduce hate-fueled violence. Already recognized as the world’s most comprehensive anti-hate gathering, one international leader in the field has called it “the only place on earth that brings together such a large and diverse and cross-cutting group of policymakers and practitioners.”
Sadly, examples of mass violence driven by identity-based hate continue to grow and so does the list of targeted groups, which include Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants and others. The Summit seeks to combat all forms of hate, recognizing the power that exists when targeted communities unite and knowing that many remedies will be effective across the spectrum of hate.
We also know that countering hate will be a long-term struggle, requiring coordinated and knowledge-based efforts, and that everyone has a role to play.
Hard at work
The Eradicate Hate Global Summit, first held in the fall of 2021, has been designed to spur the implementation of multidisciplinary solutions using a
five-part structure: (1) bringing together the top global experts across all relevant disciplines; (2) in Pittsburgh; (3) to identify specific solutions; (4) while creating working groups to advance those solutions; which (5) report on their progress at subsequent summits.
That structure has been received enthusiastically. Despite occurring during the pandemic, the initial summit attracted over 100 of the world’s top experts as speakers and approximately 800 attendees. The 2022 summit featured over 250 speakers and about 1,600 attendees. This year’s summit, scheduled for Sept. 27-29, is expected to be even larger and more impactful. As one prominent global expert recently observed, “Many of us are anchoring our own goals and objectives for collaboration around the event dates, which collectively improves our performance as a field.”
The Summit currently has 25 working groups in various stages of development, involving fields as diverse as law, medicine, technology, journalism, public policy, law enforcement, education, government and civil society. Among other initiatives, these groups are developing toolkits for judges to guard against the weaponization of judicial proceedings by extremists; training and certifications for medical and social work professionals; a manual of behavioral red flags and a directory of service providers so that citizens, including parents, can identify the warning signs of imminent violence and know whom to contact; and resources to amplify the voices of victims in both prevention and response.
We also are facilitating pilot projects with tech companies to increase the ability to identify and counter incitement to violence online, including in video gaming.
Developing the Game Plan
In the Sports Working Group, co-chaired by Michele Rosenthal, whose brothers David and Cecil Rosenthal were killed on 10/27, the Summit has partnered with the United Nations to develop the Game Plan — a menu of best practice, anti-hate initiatives that leagues can employ to counter hate, both in their stadiums and in their communities.
Every major sports league in the United States is now a member of the working group, including the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, WNBA, NASCAR and MLS. In December, the Game Plan was officially launched at the U.N., with the organization’s special adviser for the prevention of genocide saying, “We’ve written our way into the books of history because there has never been an action plan that looks specifically at sports as a tool to root out hate and to prevent atrocity crimes.”
In April, the Liverpool Football Club hosted the first international meeting of the Sports Working Group at its home stadium for the Premier League, FIFA, Formula One, England Rugby, the Lawn Tennis Federation and others. Future gatherings around the world are planned through 2026, with the goal of having every league and team deploying game plan antihate strategies by 2026.
Why do the voices of sport matter? Because the data tell us that the most prolific perpetrators of hate-fueled violence are young men, 18-25 years old, and they care what their sports heroes say. As Nelson Mandela put it, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.”
Inspiring action
Closer to home, the Summit is spearheading an educational initiative born out of last year’s event, which included a facilitated screening for high school students of the documentary “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life,” produced by Not in Our Town.
Participating students from the South Allegheny School District were particularly inspired. They returned to their school and constructed an agenda that included creating an Eradicate Hate Club; hosted a screening of the film for fellow students, parents and other community members; developed programming tocelebrate Hispanic Heritage, Black History and Women’s History months; and participated in an impressive array of related field trips. This year’s summit will highlight their work to encourage its replicationin other districts.
The Eradicate Hate Global Summit attracts extraordinary people from around the world — and from our own community — who are determined to help humanity meet one of the most critical challenges of our time. Born from a dark moment of hate and violence, the Summit has generated remarkable levels of positive human energy, collaboration, creativity and innovation.
Countering hate is a never-ending challenge that requires an unrelenting effort from the best minds working together. That is why the Eradicate Hate Global Summit was created — not as a conference, but as an enduring institution whose work will continue, year after year, improving our world, placing Pittsburgh at the center of this essential effort and serving as a living memorial to those who were lost in the Squirrel Hill massacre.
Laura Ellsworth is the global partner-in-charge of community service initiatives for the international law firm Jones Day. Mark Nordenberg is chancellor emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh and chair of its Institute of Politics. They are the founding co-chairs of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit.