The October 27 Archive currently contains 1333 objects and is regularly being expanded with more material. The archive includes flyers and programs from community gatherings held since the October 27 attack, a comprehensive collection of news coverage about the day of the event, oral history recordings reflecting a diverse array of experiences, and historical documentation about the Jewish experience in Western Pennsylvania.
You can view all the materials currently included in the archive using the browser below. Each object has been described and cataloged to help you discover materials, learn about these materials, understand the context in which these materials were created, and draw connections between different materials. You can refine the browsing experience using various filters, including creator, type, and subject. Some of these filters have already been used to create preset galleries, each organized around specific aspects of the archive. You can also look for specific words and phrase found in the archive using a keyword search.
Western Pennsylvanians share their life stories and reflect on the impact of an antisemitic attack in a beloved Jewish neighborhood.
Documentation of the October 27 attack as it was unfolding, told through news articles and oral histories.
Primary Type – Cards
Secondary Type - Cards
Language – Cards
Creator – Cards
Group – Cards
Location – Cards
Event – Cards
Handwritten card in red and green crayon on paper. The card reads: "We love you. Levi" and illustrated with a flower, several hearts, and a mail delivery truck. Color bleeding and creasing due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
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 contains messages of support and prayer. The church's contact information is included on the back of the envelope.
Hallmark card from a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Londonderry, New Hampshire. The inside reads: "Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. St. Peter's Episcopal Church Londonderry, NH."
Summary: Timeline arranged by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette listing six mass shootings in the Pittsburgh region since 2000, including incidents in Wilkinsburg, Beaver County, Stanton Heights, Collier, and Mt. Lebanon.
Flyer with photograph of people lighting candles above a yellow block with typed text. Text reads: "Memorial Havdallah, Join together with students & community to commemorate the Hebrew Yahrtzeit of Tree of Life victims" with date, time, location, and other details.
Business card from Reverend John Shaver of San Dieguito Methodist Church in Encinitas, Ca.
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.
Post-it note with handwritten message in black marker. The message reads: "Hate Only Destroys." A Star of David appears below.
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.
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue marker. The message reads: "One Love" with peace and heart symbols replacing the letter "o" respectively.
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue ink. The message reads: "You are in our thoughts and prayers. Love always triumphs over hate." Color bleeding due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Post-it note with handwritten message in black marker. The message reads: "I was not here, but I live nearby. Had I been home I could have grabbed my baseball bat, and gone after Bowers."
Post-it note with handwritten message in black marker. The message reads: "Rest in Peace. Toronto."
Handwritten card from a student at Goddard Middle School in Littleton, Co. The cover contains a quote attributed to the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" in the upper left corner. The cover features a full-length illustration of a mountainous landscape with a deer at the center as the sun sets. The inside reads: "Dear Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, I am sorry that someone would ever do that. We're thinking about you all the way in Colorado. I'm a student in middle school. My name is Erin.
Typed bilingual Hebrew and English letter from a student at Hebrew Academy, a private Jewish day school in Montreal, Quebec. In English the letter reads: "Dear Rabbi, I hope all is well. I'm talking to you from Montreal. I heard what happened last week and I want to say we have been saying Tehillim (Psalms) for you guys in Pittsburg[h]. The whole Jewish community is so sad and I want to say that we are really sorry. I hope all the injured will be okay and heal faster. Sincerely, Joshua [last name redacted]."
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.
Folded card on orange paper. The front cover feature a large Star of David outlined in black marker. The inside features a cartoon of a young girl wearing a Star of David t-shirt. Creasing due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Folded card with marker illustration. Cover features Star of David and four hearts. Interior features illustration of tree and messages "We stand with you" and "Beth Chai Congregation stands with you."
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.