
Primary Type – Cards
Secondary Type - Cards
Language – Cards
Creator – Cards
Date – Cards
Group – Cards
Location – Cards
Event – Cards
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.
Summary: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report collecting public statements about the October 27 attack from local, state, national, and international leaders, including Gov. Tom Wolf, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, President Barack Obama, President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, Duquesne University President Ken Gormley, the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
Card made by a student from the George Washington University Hillel. The front cover contains a bilingual Hebrew and English message: "Haverim (friends) in Pittsburgh" with a Star of David below. The inside (from right to left) reads: "Sending love, solidarity, and hope. Our community is the strongest in the world! -Sam, GWU student, Colorado Springs, CO, Temple Beth Torah."
Summary: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editor David Shribman shares his personal account of learning about the attack and describes the scene in Squirrel Hill.
Full color printed program for "The Numbers Keep Changing." Includes artist's statement, reproductions of seven paintings with accompanying poems, photographs of the exhibition opening, and media coverage of the exhibit. Additional images shows painting "El Kiddush Hashem."
Card with the words of the Prayer for Peace handwritten in blank ink on a purple note card on the front and back. The Prayer for Peace is an eighteenth century Chasidic Jewish prayer adopted by liberal Jewish denominations in North America. The note concludes: "In loving memory of Rose Mallinger."
Diamante poem by which was sent with the materials from Emergency Ministry Services, a faith-based training and disaster response NGO in San Juan Capistrano, Ca., affiliated with the Orange County Church on the Rock. A diamante poem is a seven-line unrhymed poem which is shaped like a diamond. The words of this poem washed away due to rainwater.
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue marker. The message reads: "I'm praying for these holy souls, may God shine His light upon them!"
Letter from a member of the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. The letter reads: "We wish you Peace and Love. May you feel that most people in the world love you and feel your sorrow. Love, Betty and Jack [last name redacted] Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church."
Handmade, screen-printed card on pink paper with green paint. An abstract shape, perhaps meant to evoke a broken heart, appears in the center. Signed, lower right: "Love, Brian S." The card has been laminated.
Summary: KDKA-TV report identifying vicitms of the October 27 attack.
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 love, prayer, and solidarity. The church's contact information is included on the back of the envelope.
Summary: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report with link to Facebook Live video from a press conference where public officials provide updates about the October 27 attack.
Card from a congregant at the Holy Angels Parish. The front cover contains a stock illustration of a haloed dove flying in front of Noah's ark. The inside reads: "I'm sorry for your loss. Jayden."
17-page speech, typescript with handwritten annotations. Provides a brief history of Tree of Life Congregation and reflects on the mission and values of the congregation at its centennial.
Miniature New York State flag. Wrapped around stem of flag is a slip of laminated yellow paper reading, "In Memory of our Brother In Memory of our Brother SYLVAN SIMON z''l -- To his family and community we pray Tanuchamo min hashamayim. May God in Heaven comfort you. The Principals, Teachers, Parents, Alumni, and Students of Magen David Yeshivah. Brooklyn, NY." Part of a series of 11 flags, each dedicated to one of the victims. Additional photograph shows the entire set of 11.
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue marker. The message reads: "Love and solidarity from the Bay Area."
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 with marker illustration. Front and back cover features illustrations of heart superimposed on tree. Interior features illustration of two figures beneath word bubble "Freedom!" and nine balloons.
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.