Developed in process led by victims’ families, the memorial will commemorate the lives of the 11 Jews killed in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

PITTSBURGH – A collaborative of victims’ family members, communal leaders and congregational representatives is unveiling the preliminary designs for an official memorial of the deadliest antisemitic attack in United States history. 

“The journey to unveiling the preliminary memorial designs has been a long and emotional one, but I am grateful for a process that prioritized our hopes that our loved ones are remembered for how they lived, not solely for how they were murdered,” said Diane Rosenthal, a member of the Memorialization Working Group and a sister of Cecil and David Rosenthal, who were among those killed in the attack.

The Memorialization Working Group is an independent committee with a participant from each of the nine families whose loved ones were taken on October 27, 2018. The group included representation from each of the three congregations attacked that day – Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation and Tree of Life – and was facilitated by the 10.27 Healing Partnership.

The preliminary memorial designs were developed by Daniel Libeskind in close partnership with the Memorialization Working Group. The design concept honors each of the 11 killed on 10/27 as individuals while providing an outdoor space for public and communal reflection at the corner of Shady and Wilkins Avenues.

“Creating a meaningful memorial is a highly emotional and personal process, while at the same time, it must communicate to a broader audience. For the 10/27 Memorial, we worked closely with the families and the congregations throughout the design process. It was through this collaboration that we created a memorial that celebrates those we lost and brings the families and the community together in healing,” said Daniel Libeskind, who also serves as the lead architect for rebuilding the Tree of Life site. 

Designed by Studio Libeskind, in collaboration with Rothschild Doyno Collaborative of Pittsburgh, the building will house the Tree of Life congregation, an education and research center, and the nation’s first museum focused on the historical roots and modern manifestations of antisemitism in the United States. The building’s official groundbreaking is expected in 2024. 

The reimagined Tree of Life, launched in 2022 as a new national organization dedicated to uprooting antisemitism, will serve as steward and caretaker of the memorial. 

“Everything we are doing at the Tree of Life is rooted in honoring the 11 lives that were taken on 10/27 and remembering what happened on this site,” said Michael Bernstein, chair of the Tree of Life Interim Governance Committee. “It was important to us to let the families of the victims take the lead in how we tell the stories of their loved ones. We are humbled by their trust in us to support their vision of a memorial that will truly be the heart and soul of the reimagined Tree of Life.”

Associated Press: Families had long dialogue after Pittsburgh synagogue attack. Now they’ve unveiled a memorial design.