Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: How You Can Show #LoveIsStronger

On October 27, a gunman opened fire in the Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, killing 11 and wounding 6 in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.

As the Chicago region’s community foundation, we are honored to share the work of our local counterpart, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and their efforts to help their community heal and rebuild.

The Foundation is working to spread the news about “projects meant to help the Pittsburgh community heal from the horrific loss of life in a hate-fueled attack… We’re also hoping that a strong show of support from organizations outside our community will send a national message against hatred and bigotry in political speech and on social media.”

Their recommendations for how you can help:

Donate to the #LoveIsStronger campaign.

“The Pittsburgh Foundation launched the #LoveIsStronger crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to support eight organizations engaged in meeting the needs of those killed and wounded during the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

One of these is the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), whose work prompted the accused gunman to target the Tree of Life Synagogue.

Full details are available at pittsburghgives.org. Please share information about the campaign from our Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Other organizations that will benefit from #LoveIsStronger include the three congregations that worship at Tree of Life and a fund aiding the injured police officers.

You might also consider sharing these graphics on your social media feeds.”

Give books to children in Pittsburgh.

“Adam Flango works for the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development, which is located less than a mile away from the Tree of Life Synagogue. After Saturday’s tragedy, Adam’s office established the ambitious goal of giving every child in Squirrel Hill and the surrounding areas access to books to help them process fear and grief, and to celebrate the diversity that makes the Squirrel Hill community so extraordinary.

Please take a moment to purchase a book from this list curated by the early childhood professionals at Pitt. Then, share details about this project on your social media feeds and with your networks. The goal is to collect at least 8,000 books.

Thank you for all you’re doing to demonstrate the power of love over hate.”

If you have a donor advised fund at The Chicago Community Trust, you can recommend a grant to support the organizations above or other community relief efforts by logging into Instant Impact.