October 27th Commemoration Ceremony

This year, the forecast looks unseasonably beautiful and bright, a reminder that not everything is the same. Four years later we can still feel the distinct loss and remember that rainy October day, but we can also remember the years that have come since with new joys and budding relationships. We integrate what was, what is, and what will be as we enter this year.  We will do this in spirit, service, and community—with our Torah scholars in study, with the generosity of Repair the World Pittsburgh and all the service sites we will volunteer with this month, and by gathering in remembrance with the families of the eleven who were taken on October 27^th. We are committed to helping you carry this balance of hope and grief, and we will be here for you, on October 27^th, on the 18^th of Cheshvan, and all year long.

October 27^th Commemoration Ceremony
On October 27^th at 4pm at Prospect Drive in Schenley Park, we will come together as a community to reflect and support each other in memory of the 2018 antisemitic attack on our loved ones and community.

The commemorative ceremony is open to the public. At this gathering we will hear songs from local choirs, we will light candles for the eleven lives taken, and we will stand together in remembrance and solidarity. The commemorative ceremony will last approximately one hour, and the recording will be available on our website at approximately 7pm that evening.

Please check the weather before you arrive at the event, because it will be held outside rain or shine. Seating is limited, so we encourage those who are able to stand for the duration of the ceremony to do so.

Torah Study on October 27^th
We have five different Torah study leaders on October 27^th.

Judy Klitsner is a senior educator at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, and Judy is the author of the groundbreaking book “Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other,” which won a National Jewish Book Award. Register for her 12pm Torah study here.

Dr. Tamar Kamionkowski will be leading a Torah study on “Reading Tanakh through the Lens of Trauma,” engaging with a few biblical passages through the lens of trauma theory to extract new insights regarding these classic materials. She is a sought after teacher from the Reconstructing Judaism movement and brings her whole self to teaching Torah for application in today’s world.  Register for her 12pm Torah study here.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, rabbi of Temple Emanuel in NC, will be leading a Torah study on the topic “Starting over… again and again and again.” On January 15, 2022, Rabbi Charlie and three congregants at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX were held hostage by a gunman in the CBI sanctuary. Since then, he has spoken out on the importance of security training for religious communities, and especially small congregations, as well as the need to build stronger bridges between faith communities, especially on a local level. Register for his 1pm Torah study here.

Rabbi Joel Goldstein will be leading Torah study on the topic “Are Victims Necessarily Martyrs: Using Rabbinic texts to think about how we frame the death of innocent victims.” Rabbi Goldstein is a faculty member for Yashrut, a laboratory of intensive, synergistic learning of Talmud and Jewish Law founded and led by Rabbi Daniel Landes, and serves as the Rabbi for Based-In Ann Arbor. Register for his 1pm Torah study here.

Rabbi Moshe Rosenberg is the spiritual leader of Congregation Etz Chaim of Kew Gardens Hills, New York, and a Judaic Studies educator at SAR Academy in Riverdale, New York. He is most well known for his Unofficial Hogwarts Haggadah and Superhero Haggadah, but his writings on religion, ethics, and Jewish law have also appeared in Tablet Magazine, The Forward, The JewishWeek, The Los Angeles Jewish Journal, and The Journal of Halakha and Contemporary Society, among other national publications. His Harry Potter Club at SAR was featured in the New York Times. Register for his 1pm Torah study here.

Yahrzeit, the 18^th of Cheshvan (Nov. 12^th)
We encourage everyone to show up for shabbat and attend morning services at a congregation that you belong to or one you have never been to on the yahrzeit (remember to bring vaccine cards in case required by the synagogue). From 2:30pm-3:30pm there will be an in-person only Torah learning opportunity at the Jewish Community Center to honor the memories of the eleven people whose lives were taken on the 18^th of Cheshvan. Everyone is welcome, and vaccination records are required for non-members.

In Solidarity,