The Collection

The October 27 Archive currently contains 839 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.

Using this archive

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.

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Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church (San Diego, Ca.) letter (048)

Letter from a member of the Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. The letter is dated 11/4/18 and reads: "Dear Tree of Life Synagogue, Please accept our heartfelt condolences in the loss of your beloved congregation members, from our congregation at Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church in San Diego, CA. In LA, I grew up living next to a Rabbi (Marvin Bornstein) and his dear family. He was familiar with loss as well, having left medical school in Vienna at the onset of WW II. I learned from his example of love, tolerance and peace. I too am familiar with grief and loss having lost my 25 year old soon way too soon. Good must be a result of senseless loss. We are in solidarity with you. May G-d guide you to peace. Shalom, Carla [last name redacted], MD."

Historical Notes

In the days after the October 27 attack, people began leaving objects at two locations outside the Tree of Life synagogue--one at the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues in front of the Zittrain Gardens, and the other on a private lawn at Wilkins and Murray avenues, just beyond police barricades. Community volunteers moved the entirety of these two memorials inside the Tree of Life building on November 14, 2018, for preservation purposes. Most of these objects including this one were moved to archival preservation over the following year, but a small number were arranged in public display in the windows of the Hailperin Sanctuary lobby. Rauh Jewish Archives staff and volunteers dismantled this display on February 16, 2023, and the objects were brought to the archive for preservation. Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church is an intergenerational church located in San Diego, California. Reverend Karla Shaw, who had lived in Pittsburgh in the early 2000s, had planned to spend a week in Pittsburgh in November 2018. After Rev. Shaw heard the news about the October 27 attack, she and her community organized a letter writing campaign and created a prayer quilt. Rev. Shaw brought these letters and quilt with her to Pittsburgh, which she left at the Wilkins memorial.

Use and Reproduction

Donor Information

Item

MSS1297_B001_F021

Donor

Tree of Life Congregation, New Light Congregation, Congregation Dor Hadash, Tree of Life Inc., The 10.27 Healing Partnership

Subjects

Interfaith , Christianity , Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church (San Diego, Ca.)