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The synagogue at the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues in Squirrel Hill was dedicated in 1952 by Tree of Life Congregation and expanded several times over the subsequence decades to include new sanctuaries, classrooms, and wings, as well as to become home to other organizations throughout the community. By late 2018, the synagogue building was used by three congregations: Tree of Life*Or L'Simcha Congregation, New Light Congregation, and Congregation Dor Hadash.
The Congregations
In the months following the October 27 attack, many public accounts have used the shorthand “three congregations” to explain the shared living arrangements within a single large Squirrel Hill synagogue. Grouping these three congregations together based solely by their mutual tragedy ignores their individual characteristics. Each was created to fill specific religious and spiritual needs. Each developed along a particular path, reflecting different eras, ethnicities, practices, and ideas within American Judaism. Through their histories, each of these congregations illuminates a different corner of the larger Jewish history of our region.
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Jewish Response
Jewish Response
Western Pennsylvania is home to dozens of Jewish organizations, each reflecting a different expression of Jewish life. The region has many congregations representing different geographical areas and different religious denominations, and each with a distinct culture. There are charitable organizations devoted to improving life locally and globally. There are organizations devoted to different aspects of human endeavor, including politics, social justice, athletics, education, and the arts. Each of the organizations represented here responded to the October 27 in its own way, reflecting its history, its traditions, its culture, and its members.
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Global Response
Global Response
In the aftermath of the October 27 attack, the local Jewish community received expressions of support from all over the world. Each of the organizations represented here reached across some divide--religious, ethnic, national, or geographic--to offer support in a time of need.
