
Primary Type – Cards
Secondary Type - Cards
Language – Cards
Creator – Cards
Date – Cards
Group – Cards
Location – Cards
Event – Cards
Square card with white and yellow text against blue background. Card reads, "Mitzvah4Pittsburgh. Some spread darkness. We spread light. Choose a good deed. Choose a Mitzvah. Add light to the world," followed by four options and a place for respondents to list their name and email address. Some names and email addresses have been redacted for privacy.
White posterboard with dozens of hands in red and pink paint. Initialed in multiple colors by creators. The words "Hope and Love," peace signs, and Stars of David are scattered throughout.
Hand painted card with abstract lines and shapes in brown, green, and blue paint on paper. Signed: "Love, Khira D." lower right. The card has been laminated.
Print with various birds resting on the branches of a flowering tree folded in half to create an improvised card. The inside contains a handwritten sympathy note written in blue ink from a member of the autism community in Monroeville, Pa.
Handwritten letter written in black ink on lined notebook paper from a Jewish resident of Riverdale, Ny. Addressed to Congregation Tree of Life, the Squirrel Hill community, Pittsburgh, and everyone grieving from the October 27 attack.
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue ink. The message reads: "May their memories be a blessing." Color bleeding due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Post-it note with handwritten message in pink marker. The message reads: "Our hearts cry with yours for shalom." Signed with a heart, cross, and Star of David.
Post-it note with handwritten message in black ink. The message reads: "Am Yisrael Chai!" Translated into English, this means: "The People of Israel live!" Color bleeding due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Handmade sign with red, blue, yellow, and black paint. The words "Stronger Than Hate" appear in a text box outlined in black; a heart appears above. The adapted Steelers' logo with a yellow Star of David appears on the upper left. Staining due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Post-it note with handwritten message in black marker. The message reads: "No one ever do that."
Collage with a hand drawn tree in the center. Leaves comprised of multicolored tissue paper; two ready-made decorative leaves in orange, yellow, and red fabric. Signed in red ink lower center. Yinyang in blank ink appears on the lower right; dove outlined with fuchsia ink appears on the lower left.
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue marker. The message reads: "May their memories be a blessing. Love [heart] From Charlotte, NC." Tape on the upper edge.
Note from a member of The Church at Severn Run in Severn, Maryland. The note is enclosed in an envelope with church letterhead, reading: "The Church at Severn Run: Love Well, Live Jesus, Believe Big!" The note inside reads: "Love conquers all!! You are a child of God, therefore, you are loved. Continue to pray and worship. Please don't let hate win, love will overpower through all. Jenna [last name redacted]. YOU ARE LOVED!" The church's contact information is included on the back of the envelope.
Handwritten card from a student at Goddard Middle School in Littleton, Co. The front cover features a large Star of David and contains the following quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." The inside reads: "Dear Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, I am sorry for your loss, and violence. I am a student from all the way from Denver, Colorado. So from all of us from Colorado we give you good wishes. Sincerely, Will [last name redacted]."
Triangle-shaped card from a student at Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Co. The card reads: "Dear members of Tree of Life, I am a Chinese [student] who is now studying in U.S. I am sorry about the situation that happened recently. Personally, I support you, do not be afraid! Peace be with you." Star of David in the upper center, peace sign in the bottom center.
Card from a student at West Allegheny Middle School in Imperial, Pa. The front features a hand-colored illustration of a turtle with floral and geometric motifs on its back, legs, and neck. The back contains a handwritten note, as well as a sticker with the stock signature: "From your friends at West Allegheny Middle School."
Postcard with a monumental building with a dome, perhaps a mosque, from Azerbaijan on the cover. Tearing due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial. The message on the back contains words of prayer and the senders' commitment to welcoming all in Squirrel Hill.
Letter from a member of the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. The letter reads: "To The Dear Tree of Life Community, I am so, so sorry for the loved ones you have lost in the most unthinkable of ways. Your brothers and sisters in San Diego, at Point Loma Community Presbyterian mourn with you. We pray that you will find a peace that goes beyond human understanding. Know that I am committed to doing- as much as any one person can do to build bridges of love, compassion, and shalom, and that I will always remember your family of faith while doing so.
Oral history of Rosalind Chow, recorded as part of the Meanings of October 27th Oral History Project.
Collage with a hand drawn tree with black ink in the center. Leaves made of multicolored tissue paper; two ready-made decorative leaf in orange, yellow, and peach fabric. Handwritten messages on either side.
Terms of Use
The October 27 Archive collects responses to an antisemitic attack in Pittsburgh, Pa. on October 27, 2018. These responses take many forms but share a motivating impulse. Each began in the mind and heart of someone who was moved by the events of that day and was compelled to create something meaningful from that feeling. By sharing these responses, those people chose to be vulnerable for the sake of a greater good. The October 27 Archive website was launched with the belief that sharing these responses with the world can provide an avenue for people all over the world to reflect, learn, and heal.
By entering this website, you agree to honor the spirit in which these responses were created and in which they are being shared with the world.
The materials on this website are being made available exclusively for research purposes. For permission to use any of the materials on this website for any other purpose, please contact the archive. If you are the creator of any of the material on this website, and you would like to provide context or request to have something removed, please contact the archive. If you intend to reference any material found on this website, please attribute all citations to the Rauh Jewish Archives, so that other researchers can easily locate these materials in the future.