Most of the construction will be demolished and parts of the sanctuary walls will be preserved. The new construction will include worship spaces, a museum, an educational center and a movie theater.
PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE SHOOTER ROBERT BOWERS TO BE SENTENCED TO DEATH, JURY DECIDES
Carole Zawatsky, who runs the new nonprofit overseeing the task, at the site when the demolition began. He said he had a combination of emotions, adding a bittersweet feeling about why the old building was being demolished, but also immense excitement to see the task move forward. “It’s a sobering, physical manifestation of healing,” he said.
“It’s a symbol of wonderful resilience and moving forward,” he said.
A makeshift memorial stands outside the Tree of Life Synagogue, the target of a mass shooting that left 11 others dead, in Pittsburgh on Oct. 29, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The attack on October 27, 2018 claimed the lives of worshippers from three congregations gathered at the synagogue: Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life. Since then, the three men have met in nearby synagogues.
As part of a similar project, a memorial to the sick is planned at a site just outside the synagogue.
The planning process for this monument was left in the hands of the representatives of the congregations and the families of the victims.
The design calls for a walkway that will take visitors to the memorial garden with 11 bureaucracies carved from open books, depicting one of the slain.
They represent the “Book of Life,” where, according to Jewish tradition, the righteous are named.
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The man who killed worshippers was sentenced to death last year after a long-delayed federal trial.