Ceremony marks start of rebuilding for Pittsburgh synagogue targeted in antisemitic mass shooting

Second gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Pennsylvania Gov. The new design is by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, whose previous works include Jewish museums, Holocaust memorials and the master plan for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center after 9/11. Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, said his purpose on Sunday was to “send a message to the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, to the country, and to the world, that we must never forget what the poison of antisemitism can do.” “We are turning what was once a tragic crime scene into a place of hope and inspiration – a place that is full of light,” said Emhoff, who has met previously with Tree of Life family members and survivors of the attack. The attack claimed the lives of 11 worshippers from Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life congregations, which shared space in the synagogue in Squirrel Hill, the heart of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. “The end of our story is not victimhood, it’s about how we as Jewish people define ourselves and, out of the worst moments, our capacity to be resilient, to get up and to rebuild,” said Carole Zawatsky, chief executive officer of the Tree of Life non-profit organization overseeing the project in tandem with the congregation of the same name.