Memorials established in Israel, Auschwitz
From Israel to Auschwitz, victims of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting have been memorialized.
Russell Robinson, CEO of the Jewish National Fund-USA, was at the organization’s conference in Phoenix, Ariz., when the shooting happened and remembers the scramble to increase security, in hopes of thwarting off any copycat attempts.
Quickly and quietly, another effort unfolded behind the scenes. A major donor contacted Mr. Robinson and said he wanted to help in some way. Over the coming weeks, board members coordinated and they decided to erect a plaque in Israel.
Now, a plaque made of Jerusalem stone and listing the names of the 11 people who died in the shooting sits at the 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza, overlooking the city of Jerusalem. Separately, people have donated more than 190 trees to be planted nearby in memory of the Tree of Life shooting victims.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto saw the memorial earlier this year, when he and a friend visited the 9/11 memorial and stumbled upon it by accident.
“I didn’t know it was there. He didn’t know it was there, but you saw their names in Israel,” Mr.
Peduto said.
Separately, Gov. Tom Wolf paid tribute to the victims when he traveled to Europe this fall to meet with National Guard members. The governor stopped at concentration camps in Lithuania and Poland.
During a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of the most infamous camps run by Nazis during World War II, the governor placed a wreath in honor of the Tree of Life shooting victims and etched their names in a guest book.
The workers at Auschwitz-Birkenau had already heard of the Tree of Life shooting before the governor’s trip.
“This is a reminder that these hateful ideologies did not disappear, that we live in a difficult world,” said Pawel Sawicki, a tour guide and press officer at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
“And, therefore,” he added, “I believe our mission is not over.”