Bringing a community together
The Oct. 14 article “Keeping Faith: Chronicle Staff Observed Sabbath Before Covering the Mass Shooting at Tree of Life,” highlighted the great work of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 27 massacre of 11 members of the Jewish community in their synagogue on that ill-fated morning. The article references the “protest march” that took place several days later when President Donald Trump visited Tree of Life.
My wife and I were at the march for the entire three hours that it slowly wound its way through Squirrel Hill, beginning on the street where Mister Rogers lived, Beechwood Boulevard. While it did begin with an admonition on the part of the organizers that the president should denounce white nationalism, that was a mere footnote to what actually became the greatest public act of loving kindness that I have ever witnessed.
A diverse crowd of thousands of people spent hours chanting a verse from Psalms proclaiming that we will build this world with love. And when the crowds marched by the Zone 4 police station and 18 Engine Company on Northumberland Street, the outreach by the marchers, officers and first responders was something that still brings tears to my eyes nearly one year later. The cheering and the applause continued for the entire time it took for the massive group to pass that site from which the brave first responders sprinted to Wilkins and Shady avenues on Oct. 27 to avert an even greater disaster.
When the march reached its conclusion on Forbes and Murray avenues at the site of the church at which Mister Rogers used to pray, the speakers — African American, Hispanic, Muslim and others — characterized the attack on the Jewish community as an attack on everyone.
Protest? No, that march was not a protest. It was a proclamation that Pittsburgh is a unique and unified community. That our community is no place for hate. That we are stronger together.
I am thankful to those who took the lead on organizing this unforgettable event. HOWARD M. RIEGER
Squirrel Hill