PITTSBURGH — Monday will mark seven years since 11 people who were spending their morning worshipping were murdered at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill.
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Now, the grief, disbelief and heartache are still there, but so is the giving spirit of lives taken too soon.
The victims of the synagogue shooting were Sylvan and Bernice Simon, Cecil and David Rosenthal, Daniel Stein, Irving Younger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Joyce Fienberg, Melvin Wax, Richard Gottfried and Rose Mallinger.
“They were people who gave of their time freely. They were people who always wanted to help,” said Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership
And in that spirit, Sunday marked a day of service and healing across Pittsburgh.
Teens spent the day cleaning the grounds, polishing headstones and filling in holes at a local cemetery.
“We do this in their memory,” said Kelly Schwimer of the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association. “There were 11 souls that left us too soon and in a tragic way. These acts of kindness are ways the community can come together.”
People packed dental kits for Catholic Charities.
Dr. Richard Gottfried volunteered as a dentist.
“We are privileged to be able to carry out his legacy of compassionate care,” said Angie Zambito Hill, chief development officer of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Their dental clinic was named after Gottfried.
“I think he would be really pleased to see the interfaith collaboration of the healing partnership and catholic charities,” Hill said.
Volunteers also packed and shelved food for the Jewish Family and Community Services food pantry.
The JFCS says the need is overwhelming.
“They were all volunteers and part of the community. We always want to bring their memories back to the surface,” said Stephanie Small, director of clinical services for the JFCS.
Seven years later, the community is carrying on the legacy of the 11 lives all remembered as helpers.
On Monday evening, there will be a community commemoration at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill for the lives lost.
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