On Saturday, October 27th, 2018, a white supremacist, further radicalized by the political climate at the time, walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh with four semi-automatic assault weapons, shouting “all Jews must die.” He murdered eleven congregants, ranging in age from 54 to 97, as they prayed. A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting creates a deeply personal, trauma-informed portrait of the survivors, victims, and victims' family members of the Pittsburgh Synagogue attack, and brings into sharp focus the hate-based crisis that threatens our collective safety and the very social fabric of our society. As the only documentary with this level of personal access to the survivors and families of the victims, viewers will experience firsthand how the lives of those directly affected have profoundly changed -- and how the Pittsburgh community and the congregations set out on a path towards healing.

Hill Havurah will make this HBO documentary available for viewing from March 14 to March 28. On the evening of March 28, from 7:30-9:00, we will host -- via Zoom -- Eric Lidji, from the Pittsburgh Jewish Community, to talk with us about the film. 

Eric Lidji is a writer for the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, led the collection of community artifacts from Tree of Life, and has deep knowledge of Pittsburgh's Jewish history. Eric is co-editor of Bound in the Bond of Life: Pittsburgh Writers Reflect on the Tree of Life Tragedy. He is also the Director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh and curates The October 27 Archive.

In order to join us on Zoom on the 28th and view the documentary beforehand, please register here. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with a link that will allow you to watch the film between March 14 and 28.

If you have any questions, you can email Alan at alan.shusterman@hillhavurah.org.