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March Newsletter: Intent to Continue

March 16, 2023  ·  ,

Hi Friend,

We are proud to announce that the 10.27 Healing Partnership intends to continue the work it is engaged in for another 5 years. This means that while our federal Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) funding will cease in September of this year, we intend to continue and will seek new streams of funding to do this.

We believe that there is more to do to serve the community impacted by 10/27/18. We believe that planning to continue for only 5 more years before sunsetting is the best way to ensure the lasting legacy of this work will be carried forward by our incredible partners. We are far from the only organization that seeks to honor the memory of the 11 victims and believes in a healing-centered community, and we are committed to strengthening this network of individuals and partners. Making the decision to sunset in five years is a choice that is informed by lengthy strategic planning that involved perspectives and input from a broad range of community stakeholders.

“As the State Representative for Squirrel Hill, I am acutely aware of the significant impact that the mass violence event on Oct. 27, 2018 had on our community and I know that the healing journey is still underway. For this reason, I believe that it is very important for the work of the 10.27 Healing Partnership to continue for a few more years as we all continue grieving and healing.”

– State Representative Dan Frankel

 

Why does the 10.27 Healing Partnership plan to sunset?  

In our work, the ability to continue does not necessarily mean that it will always be optimal to have an organization focused on Oct. 27th, 2018. Our responsibility as the 10.27 Healing Partnership is to prioritize the needs and resources of the community over meeting those needs solely within our own organization. The survivors and family members of those who were killed on Oct. 27th and the broader community will always deserve support, education and programming to build resiliency, to become more trauma-informed, and to establish more kind, empathetic healing spaces.

The first five years of the 10.27 Healing Partnership focused on “healing”; in the next five years we will combine that with a greater focus on “partnership.” We believe that by integrating what we have learned into the community’s permanent infrastructure, we are establishing a greater long-term solution than simply to continue existing as an organization.

We want to prepare for the future in a deliberate and trauma-informed way. Healing from trauma includes a gradual change from short term response to long term resilience. Our decision reflects the healing process in organizational terms, by working hand-in-hand with permanent community institutions to prepare for this transition. We believe that empowerment is a crucial step in any healing journey. In the next five years, we will focus on empowering individuals and organizations to continue this work. We were created as an organization to provide support for a specific event. While the effects from that event are not over, it is crucial that resources for a specific event are reintegrated into the broader community for long-term support.

“I am grateful that the 10.27 Healing Partnership will stay open for another 5 years as we all will continue our healing journey after the trial is over. I am confident that their expertise will continue to provide comfort and therapeutic support to the direct victims of the shooting as well as the broader community, and that 5 years from now there will be less of a need for an organization dedicated to this work.”– Andrea Wedner, survivor of the shooting and member of 10.27 Healing Partnership Steering Committee
 

“October 27, 2018, was the worst day of my life. I miss my brother so much, and the trauma of that experience will always be with me. At first, healing seemed impossible. The 10.27 Healing Partnership supported me for years with counseling services, and they continue to honor my brother’s memory by holding a space for the commemoration. More recently, they have helped me find my voice as an advocate against antisemitism and hatred. Healing is an ongoing process, and I was happy to contribute to a plan that will ensure resources are always there to support those impacted by that day.”– Carol Black was at services with her brother, Richard Gottfried, on the morning of Oct. 27, 2018. Richard was murdered that day. Carol was one of the 57 individuals who participated in the strategic plan.

 

What will change and what will stay the same in the next five years? 

We are making this announcement now to assure the community that our services will continue during the trial of the perpetrator of the synagogue shooting and during the fifth commemoration. We remain dedicated to those directly affected by the Oct. 27th attack, and our support will continue over the next five years. We will continue to outreach and provide a listening space for those in the wider community who have felt the trauma and ripple effects from the synagogue shooting. Our focus now is to leave this community as a more resilient, more empowered place than when our organization was formed.

Everyone in this community has learned a lot since Oct. 27, 2018. We have learned about healing, about different therapeutic modalities of the body and mind, about trauma, about outreach and communication, and about relationship-building and community. We are prepared to grow our expertise and support others in learning over the next five years. We believe in the robust network of resources, services, organizations, and individuals in Squirrel Hill and in Pittsburgh. We believe in the neighborliness and the outpouring of love that we have witnessed before and since October 27th. With your help, and the help of our partners, the learnings we have gained through navigating tragedy can be woven into the fabric of this community.

“The 10.27 Healing Partnership is a reflection of our community’s resilience and dedication to serve each other. We faced a critical need in the aftermath of October 2018 for special skills and expertise to help us heal, and the Partnership has provided both. As we look to the future, we see a Jewish community in Pittsburgh that is blessed with an abundance of wonderful people and strong, enduring institutions. Speaking for the JCC, we’re committed to working with the Healing Partnership over the next five years to make sure we are prepared to serve those in need, and always to hold the memory of the 11 who were taken that day.”– Brian Schreiber, President and CEO of the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh

 

In Solidarity,
Maggie Feinstein Director10.27 Healing Partnership

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