Pittsburgh honors 11 lives lost in Tree of Life shooting three years ago

PITTSBURGH — The pain is still so incredibly real for congregants and community members in Squirrel Hill.

Today marks three years since the Tree of Life mass shooting.

>>PHOTOS: Pittsburgh remembers the 11 people who lost their lives at Tree of Life

“The community continues to heal. There’s no time limit on that,” said Barb Feige, executive director of Tree of Life.

Mourners spent today gathering outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue.

They stood in solidarity—praying, reflecting and remembering the lives lost.

Some dropped off flowers and mementos to create a memorial.

Others signed a guest book, leaving messages of love and support.

“We’ll never forget the victims and the survivors and we want to honor their memories and celebrate them,” said Carol Sikov Gross, president of Tree of Life.

Gross says the tragedy has rocked her and her neighbors.

However, it has also brought so many people together.

Gross hopes it will continue to do so in the years to come in the name of those who lost their lives on this very day.

“I wanna say that we should all support each other. We should show love and compassion. I mean that’s what Cecil and David would’ve wanted.”

A candle was lit Wednesday by the family of Officer Jerrod Withrow, who put his life at risk that day as a member of the South Hills Critical Incident Response Team. He died over the summer after a fight with cancer.

Withrow and his fellow officers and first responders will be honored for their bravery.

City and Allegheny County leaders attended the ceremony.

The shooting is the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in United States history.

These are the people who died that day:

• Joyce Fienberg, 75, of Oakland
• Richard Gottfried, 65, of Ross Township
• Rose Mallinger, 97, of Squirrel Hill
• Jerry Rabinowitz, 66, of Edgewood
• Cecil Rosenthal, 59, of Squirrel Hill (brother of David Rosenthal)
• David Rosenthal, 54, of Squirrel Hill (brother of Cecil Rosenthal)
• Bernice Simon, 84, of Wilkinsburg (married to Sylvan Simon)
• Sylvan Simon, 87, of Wilkinsburg (married to Bernice Simon)
• Daniel Stein, 71, of Squirrel Hill
• Melvin Wax, 87, of Squirrel Hill
• Irving Younger, 69, of Mt. Washington

CLICK HERE for their photos. You can learn more about them, HERE.

Remembering those lost in the Tree of Life attack

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