
Primary Type – Cards
Secondary Type - Cards
Language – Cards
Creator – Cards
Date – Cards
Group – Cards
Location – Cards
Event – Cards
Folded card with marker illustrations. Cover reads "Best Wishes." Interior features illustration of smiling sun over water and words "Best Wishes" and name "Harper [last name redacted for privacy]."
Post-it note with abstract illustration in black marker.
Yellow card with extensive red staining. Due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial, the message on this card is no longer visible.
Folded card on white paper. Blue, purple, and yellow stains in the center and upper right and left. Mild dirt staining throughout. Due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial, the message on this card is no longer visible.
Zine page with bubble letters and information about the emotional value of hugs. Zine page with cartoon imagery and information about the value of hugs. A young boy hugs a globe, beneath the inscription: "Embrace the world one hug at a time."
Wooden pedestal painted white with white Star of David and red heart affixed to front. Handwritten in pencil and black marker on the Star of David is the name "Irving Younger." Collaged onto the heart are white pieces of paper and a translation of Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Accompanying image shows all 11 Stars of David in the series.
Letter from a member of the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. The letter reads: "May the peace and love of the Lord bless you all. Our hearts and prayers are with you as you try to understand the WHY of this tragic event. In Christ's love, Beverly [last name redacted] Pt. Loma Community Presbyterian Church 11-5-18."
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue marker. The message reads: "No hate" [heart, broken heart]. Just [heart]."
Grey and black sticker with the words: "You are beautiful" on the front. The back contains a hashtag and web link to the "You Are Beautiful" company website.
Card from the Friendship Circle of Illinois. The front cover reads: "To: The Jewish community of Pittsburgh. From: Zalman [last redacted] Chicago, Il." The inside reads: "I take upon myself to have more kavane (intention; emotional devotion) when I daven (pray). Moshiach (the Messiah) should come now and their should only be simchas (joyous occassions)." The message is accompanied by an illustration of a building with a set of stairs leading to a door with a crenellated roof. Spelling errors corrected for clarity.
Handmade card illustrated with multi-colored crayons on light purple paper. The front features a child's illustration of an animal, perhaps a horse, with its mouth open wide in the shape of the letter C. The back features a blob outlined in brown crayon and other undecipherable imagery.
Floral tag from floral arrangement sent by a group of six families. The tag commemorates the ten trees that were planted by the National Forest Foundation in memory of the October 27 attack victims. The note is printed on a tag with a beige background from a local florist.
Typed letter addressed to Jerry Rabinowitz from Louis D. Louis identifies himself as a gay patient of Rabinowitz during the 1980s. He thanks for Rabinowitz for his sensitivity and care. The letter is enclosed in a plastic page protector and has tape residue on the back from the Wilkins memorial.
Card from a congregant at the Holy Angels Parish. The front cover contains a stock illustration of seven children holding hands around a table with a large goblet and loaf of braided bread, and seven doves. The illustration is labeled: "We are people of God's peace." The inside reads: "I send you all of my sorrowness, and I pray for the victims of the shooting."
Note from a member of The Church at Severn Run in Severn, Maryland. The note reads: "Please do not stop your worship. Continue to pray for the people who really need it. Pray for those who need love. I love you so please do not stop worshipping or [be] scared to worship. Don't let the hate change your lifestyle. [Smiley face]."
Handwritten letter written in black ink on lined notebook paper from Michelle. Michelle is a lifelong Pittsburgher whose mother worked in Squirrel Hill when Sophie Masloff, Pittsburgh's first Jewish and female mayor, was in office. Michelle recalls her mother's pride in serving Masloff. Michelle notes that she is a student at the University of Pittsburgh and currently lives in Squirrel Hill. She apologizes for being "neglectful" of her ties with the Jewish community. She wrote this letter to extend "my very friendly hello" and to communicate her solidarity.
Summary: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report on Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's order for flags at commonwealth buildings to be lowered to half-staff in memory of the victims of the October 27 attack.
Post-it note with handwritten message in green marker. The message reads: "To never be silent at the arms of our oppressors."
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.