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
Post-it note with handwritten message in green marker. The message reads: "Hate is not welcome anywhere."
Bilingual note written in black ink on lined notebook paper. The message reads in both Hebrew and English: "You are Loved. You are not forgotten." Signed with a Star of David.
Handwritten card from a student at Goddard Middle School in Littleton, Co. The front cover contains the following quote attributed to the movie star, James Dean: "Dream as you'll live forever, live as you'll die today." A Star of David appears below. Another quote, attributed to the author, August [middle initial and last name redacted] appears on the bottom right: "An empty box in an empty room is hard to fill, but over time it fills slowly..." An open, empty box appears above.
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.
Letter from administrators and affiliated staff at The Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking at Elizabethtown College. The front of the letter is inscribed with letterhead from the The Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking at Elizabethtown College. Message reads: "Elizabethtown College's Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking shares our concerns and prayers for your community at this sad and difficult time.
Folded card with marker and colored pencil illustrations. Front and back both feature Stars of David encircled by hearts. Inside shows a tree, labeled "a living tree" signed "from Milo".
Summary: Tribune Review High School Sports Network report on the cancellation of the Pittsburgh City League football championship following the attack.
Paper booklet with typed text and graphics throughout. Includes itinerary, names of 11 victims, text of "We Remember," acknowledgements, and additional information. Include two quotations by Mahatma Gandhi.
Oral history with Kathryn Fleisher recorded as part of the Meanings of October 27th oral history project.
Floral tag from floral arrangement, which reads: "We are sorry for your loss and hope you feel better." Note is handwritten in black ink on a printed tag featuring a white rose on the left.
Handwritten card from a student at Goddard Middle School in Littleton, Co. The front cover features the following quote attributed to the great ancient Roman orator, Cicero: "While there's life, there's hope. -Marcus Tullius Cicero." An illustration of a large Star of David appears below. The quote and illustration are outlined with a repeating pattern of blue and white lines. The inside reads: "Dear L'Simcha Congregation, My name is Olivia [last named redacted]. I live in Littleton, Colorado. I am Jewish.
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." Signed "-Jenna [last name redacted]" in the lower right corner. The inside contains several messages, including: "We love [heart symbol] you... Get well soon!!!!... Get well soon... I'm praying for you...hope you get better...we hope you heal fast...get well soon.
Floral tag from floral arrangement sent by Paul and Namoi [last name redacted]. The tag reads: "Praying for comfort for all who mourn. Isaiah 6, verse 2. Our sincerest condolences and love. Paul and Namoi [last name redacted]." Message is written in black ink on a printed tag with white lillies on the left edge.
Floral tag enclosed in white envelope from floral arrangement. The envelope is hand illustrated in blue ink with a tree in the center and has a hole punch in the upper left corner. The tag is addressed to Squirrel Hill and reads: "To the neighborhood that gave me my friends, my craft, my fiancee, my passion, and my livelihood, shine on, love on, heal on, grow and hug, and thrive and be gentle with one another. Heal. Heal. Heal. Love."
Summary: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article putting the October 27 attack in the context of other recent gun crimes and hate crimes, including at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. and the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue ink. The message reads: "We love you. We are here for you." Color bleeding due to exposure to the elements at the Wilkins memorial.
Card with illustrated sunflower. Inscribed in ink with the following message: "Hate cannot break our Steel City." Signed: "equal [=] love [heart] Star of David."
Post-it note with handwritten message in blue marker. The message reads: "May your memory be for a blessing. Sending love and healing from Jews in Berkeley, CA." Signed with a Star of David.
Program for "Adat Shalom Solidarity Shabbat" including a quotation from George Washington's letter to the Touro Synagogue and prayers by Rabbi Danny Schiff, Alden Solovy and Rabbi Naomi Levy.
Post-it note with handwritten message in black and red marker. The message reads: "If you mess with us. You mess with the entire world." Signed with a heart, colored in red and outlined in black.
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.