GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO WTA LESSONS. I’M MIKE CLARK. ONE SATURDAY MORNING IN 2018, A GUNMAN ENTERED A PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE AND OPENED FIRE. THAT ATTACK HAS CHANGED OUR CITY FOREVER. BUT SINCE THAT HORRIFIC DAY, PITTSBURGH HAS PROVEN IT IS STRONGER THAN HATE. EVERY AVAILABLE UNIT IN THE CITY NEEDS TO GET HERE NOW. 1027 2018. IT’S A DAY THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH WILL NEVER FORGET TO SEE THIS HAPPEN. IT’S AN ABOMINATION. IT’S UNTHINKABLE. 11 WORSHIPERS FROM THREE CONGREGATIONS SHOT AND KILLED INSIDE THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE. PAIN AND GRIEF RIPPLING THROUGH THE COMMUNITY. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD. I SHALL NOT WANT. WELL, GOD, I WANT WHAT I WANT. YOU CAN’T GIVE ME. YOU CAN’T RETURN THESE 11 BEAUTIFUL SOULS. NEARLY FIVE YEARS LATER, THE ACCUSED GUNMAN IS FACING TRIAL. BUT INCREDIBLY, FROM THAT SENSELESS ACT OF HATE HAS COME LOVE. WE’RE FAR MORE ALIKE THAN PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THIS MORNING. STORIES OF HEALING, A CHURCH DOUBLING AS A SYNAGOGUE TO SHOW SOLIDARITY. PLUS, TO LOVE LIKE THE BOYS JUST MEANS TO SIMPLY BE KIND. SPREADING KINDNESS IS HOW THESE SISTERS ARE KEEPING THEIR BROTHER’S LEGACY ALIVE. HEALING ISN’T SOMETHING THAT THAT ENDS AND OFFERING A SPACE TO FIND PEACE. THE PEOPLE GUIDING OTHERS THROUGH THE UNTHINKABLE INSIDE THE PEWS OF SHADY SIDES, CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH TRAGEDY HAS BECOME UNITY. SOMETIMES TIMES YOU’LL FIND A BIBLE OR TWO. THERE. OTHER TIMES A TORAH. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS 4 ANCHOR MICHELLE WRIGHT SAT DOWN WITH A RABBI AND A REVEREND, FORGING AN INCREDIBLE FRIENDSHIP. NOW FOR A VERY SPECIAL CONVERSATION WITH RABBI MYERS AND FATHER JENSEN. YOU GUYS HAVE A REALLY INTERESTING RELATIONSHIP. RABBI, LET ME START WITH YOU. WHEN THIS HORRIFIC THING HAPPENED AT YOUR SYNAGOGUE, WHAT WAS NEXT? WE HAD TO THINK ABOUT WHERE ARE WE GOING TO PRAY? WHERE ARE WE GOING TO CONTINUE TO EXIST AS A CONGREGATION AND WE FOUND AT THAT TIME A TEMPORARY HOME AT SHALOM AND WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY. BUT WE THOUGHT BEYOND THAT. WELL, WE’VE GOT HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES. WE NEED A LARGE SPACE THAT CAN FIT 750 PEOPLE OR MORE WHERE ARE WE GOING TO GO? SO WE STARTED LOOKING THROUGH THE USUAL SUSPECTS THAT ONE WOULD FIND IN THE GREATER PITTSBURGH AREA. WE HAVE A LOT OF NEEDS IN TERMS OF PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS PARKING, A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS. AND WE’RE GOING THROUGH THE LIST ONE BY ONE BY ONE, AND WE’RE NOT FINDING ANY PLACE. AND IT WAS GETTING RATHER CONCERNING. THIS IS ALREADY NOW EARLY SPRING OF 2019, THEN OUT OF THE BLUE, I GET AN EMAIL FROM FATHER JENSEN. WE REACHED OUT RIGHT AFTER OCTOBER AND AND WROTE A LETTER LATER THAT SAYING AS MANY PLACES DID, SO SORRY THIS HAPPENED. WE’RE PRAYING FOR YOU. WE TOOK CONTRIBUTIONS, BUT LATER I WROTE TO RABBI AND JUST ANYONE AT THE CONGREGATION AND SAID, SO SORRY THIS HAPPENED. CALVARY EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN PITTSBURGH IS A REALLY GOOD AT SHARING SPACE. SO IF YOU NEED SPACE FOR WORSHIP OR MEETING THINGS OR OFFICES, PARTICULARLY BIG THINGS WERE GOOD AT OUR HOME IS YOUR HOME AND TO MY GREAT SURPRISED, NOT LONG AFTER THAT I GOT A RESPONSE. WELL, ARE YOU SERIOUS? AND FROM THERE MULTIPLE MEETINGS OCCURRED AND PEOPLE CAME IN AND THEN THEY’VE BEEN WITH US THE FOLLOWING YEAR FOR THEIR HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES. SO YOU GUYS DECIDED IT WAS A GOOD IDEA. TELL ME WHAT PEOPLE FROM THE SYNAGOGUE AND FROM YOUR CHURCH HAD TO SAY ABOUT THAT. I THINK A LOT OF MY CONGREGANTS HAD THE SAME FIRST QUESTION THAT I HAD A CHURCH REALLY? -- ARE GOING TO PRAY IN A CHURCH. THAT WAS THE INITIAL RESPONSE. WHAT ABOUT YOU? IT’S DIFFERENT. I DIDN’T ACTUALLY ASK ANYBODY BEFORE I WROTE THE LETTER OF OFFER BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT EVERYBODY WOULD THINK AND WELL, TREE OF LIFE IS GOING TO COME HERE FOR THEIR HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES. YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE. THAT’S JUST WHAT WE DO. PART OF OUR NATURE AND HAS BEEN FOR AT LEAST 100 YEARS, THE ISSUES WERE NOT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN -- PRAYING IN A CHURCH? IT WAS MORE, HOW DO WE DO THAT? AND WHAT HOW WILL THIS WORK? TIMING AND LOGISTIC QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW DO WE GET THINGS HERE AND WHAT’S RIGHT AND WHAT’S THAT THING CALLED IS, IS THAT A KIPPAH OR SOME OTHER NAME AND WHERE DO THEY GO? AND AM I ALLOWED TO TOUCH THIS? IT WAS A LOT MORE PRACTICAL STUFF LIKE THAT. OUR MEMBERS CONGREGANTS SERVED AS USHERS AND GREETERS AND HELPED WITH PARKING, AND FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WE WERE BEHIND THE SCENES JUST TO BE SUPPORTIVE AND TO LET THEM BE AS NORMAL IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD. TRYING TO BE TOGETHER IN A NEW WAY, IN A STRANGE SPACE, TO BE A SUPPORTIVE AS POSSIBLE FOR THAT. THIS IS JUST A BEAUTIFUL SPACE. I’M EAGER TO LEARN WHAT YOUR CONGREGANTS LEARNED FROM SHARING THIS SPACE WITH EACH OTHER, YOUR RELIGIONS ARE VERY DIFFERENT, OBVIOUSLY, SO WHAT DO YOU LEARN FROM THAT? THAT WERE FAR MORE ALIKE THAN PEOPLE RECOGNIZE AND THAT THERE’S VERY LITTLE THAT MAKES US DIFFERENT. SO IF WE CAN FOCUS ON OUR COMMONALITIES, WE CAN WORK THROUGH ANYTHING. LET’S SAY FOR US, WE’VE LEARNED A LOT OF SMALL, RELIGIOUS, CULTURAL THINGS THAT WE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT EACH OTHER. WHAT THAT’S CALLED, HOW THIS WORKS. FOR EXAMPLE. BUT AS SIMILAR TO WHAT RABBI IS SAYING, THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES WE HAVE AND THAT WE’RE FRIENDS ABOUT ALL SORTS OF EVERYTHING, EVERY THREE DAY THINGS. WE’RE ALSO PITTSBURGHERS, WHICH BINDS PEOPLE TOGETHER IN THIS PRECIOUS, UNIQUE WAY THAT DOESN’T REALLY EXIST. MOST PLACES. IN ONE SENSE, WHAT WE HAVE IS UNIQUE THAT THERE WAS THIS PARTICULAR AWFUL TRAGEDY THAT CAME TOGETHER AND EXPERIENCE AND WE WALKED ALONGSIDE THERE IS A BONDING THAT HAPPENS WHERE YOU SKIP MULTIPLE LEVELS OF GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER. AND SO WE BECAME FRIENDS REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY. BUT THAT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYBODY, TO DIFFERENT GROUPS OVER TIME AND FROM THERE, WE LEARNED, AS I SAID, THAT WE LIKE EACH OTHER AND WE STARTED DOING OTHER THINGS TOGETHER. LIKE WE REALIZED THE FIRST YEAR THERE WAS CHRISTMAS, WE DO A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT. AND SO IN THIS CHURCH THAT SEATS A THOUSAND PEOPLE, WE HAVE, IT’S TELLING THE STORY, THE BIRTH OF JESUS, AS WE BELIEVE IS THE MESSIAH. AND WE HAVE A CAMEL, A REAL LIVE ONE YEAR OLD MALE CAMEL, DONKEYS, SHEEP, GOATS COME DOWN THE AISLE, CHILDREN ARE SINGING. KIDS ARE DRESSED UP AS ANGELS AND DONKEYS AND SHEPHERDS AND SO ON. AND THEN WE HAD A RABBI PARTICIPATE IN THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT AS MOSES. SO HE DRESSED UP IN HIS FULL KIT AND I TOLD PRIEST FRIENDS AND OTHERS THAT WE HAD A RABBI IN A CHRISTMAS PAGEANT, WHICH IS IN SOME WAYS THE MOST DISCO THING POSSIBLE. BUT AGAIN, LIKE HERE, IT SEEMS TOTALLY NATURAL. AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THE SERVICE WITH THE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT, WE HAD A HANUKKAH PARTY. SO WE SERVED LATKES, WHICH ARE POTATO PANCAKES. WE HAD WE DID SOME MUSIC, HANUKKAH SONGS. AND SO WE CELEBRATED WHAT’S GREAT ABOUT EACH OF OUR FAITHS. ONE AFTER THE OTHER. THAT’S SO WONDERFUL. BEFORE I LET YOU GO, TELL ME WHAT THE REST OF AMERICA CAN LEARN FROM WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE IN PITTSBURGH WITH YOU. WE CAN GET TOGETHER. WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. WE CAN BE FRIENDS AND ENJOY EACH OTHER’S COMPANY. IT SHOULDN’T TAKE A MASS SHOOTING FOR COMMUNITIES OF FAITH TO JUST WORK TOGETHER AND SEE THAT WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE IN COMMON. WE SHOULD JUST BE ABLE, IN A NATURAL WAY, TO DO THAT, TO REALLY ABSORB THE TEACHINGS OF FRED ROGERS, SINCE WE ARE IN HIS NEIGHBORHOODS TO BE ABLE TO JUST SAY, YEAH, WE CAN BE FRIENDS. AND I THINK WE’RE JUST DEMONSTRATING TO THE REST OF THE WORLD, THIS DOES WORK. DON’T BE AFRAID. LIKE FOR US IN A SIMILAR IDEA FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAT WE CAN RECOGNIZE AS EACH OTHER, AS NEIGHBORS, NOT JUST SOMEBODY THAT LIVES DOWN THE STREET IN A LITERAL SENSE, BUT ALSO IN THE SENSE OF THIS IS SOMEONE I CARE ABOUT AND THAT COMMUNITY AND THEY CARE ABOUT US. AND OUR FUTURE IS IN SOME WAY TIED UP WITH THEIR FUTURE. AND SO WE LOOK OUT FOR ONE ANOTHER, WE CARE FOR ONE ANOTHER, AND IT’S BOTH OF OUR BIBLICAL TRADITIONS TO LOVE AND SERVE GOD AND TO LOVE AND SERVE OUR NEIGHBOR. AND THIS IS WHAT ONE WAY THAT LOOKS LIVED OUT IN THE WORLD TODAY. STILL AHEAD, IT’S THE POSITIVE MESSAGE FROM SOMETHING SO HORRIBLE THAT KEEPS YOU GOING, SPREADING THE LIGHT DURING DARK TIMES. HOW THIS TRAGEDY HAS BROUGHT OUT THE BEST IN HUMANITY. WELCOME BACK TO WTA LESSONS FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE 11 PEOPLE KILLED THAT MORNING. LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. SEE, CECIL AND DAVID ROSENTHAL WERE AMONG THE VICTIMS. THEIR SISTERS SAY THEY LOVED GOING TO SYNAGOGUE. CECIL WAS HARD TO KEEP IN THE SEAT BECAUSE CECIL HAD TO LITERALLY SAY HELLO TO WHOEVER WAS COMING IN. HE HAD TO FIND OUT HOW THEIR FAMILY WAS DOING, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE REALLY HAD A PULSE ON THE COMMUNITY. DAVID WAS MORE OF THE HELPER, THE CLEANER. SO DAVID WOULD HAND OUT BOOKS AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WAS OKAY, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE RABBI OR ANYBODY ELSE HIGH LEVEL IN THE CONGREGATION WAS TAKEN CARE OF. THE BROTHERS WERE KNOWN AS THE BOYS BECAUSE OF THEIR INNOCENT, KIND HEARTED NATURE. THAT’S WHY MICHELLE AND DIANE ROSENTHAL CREATED A MOVEMENT CALLED LOVE LIKE THE BOYS, THE GOAL IS TO PROMOTE RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS. IT’S A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE ROSENTHAL FAMILY AND AKIVA, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS SUPPORT AND EMPOWER DAVID AND CECIL. IT’S A REALLY SIMPLE MESSAGE, AND TO LOVE LIKE THE BOYS JUST MEANS TO SIMPLY BE KIND. AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, OH, I’M KINDER, YOU KNOW, I DO THIS EVERY, YOU KNOW, I’M A KIND PERSON, BUT REALLY CONSCIOUSLY MAKING AN EFFORT. WE ALL HAVE BAD DAYS, BUT CONSCIOUSLY MAKING AN EFFORT TO BE KINDER TO SOMEONE, TO RECOGNIZE SOMEONE JUST TO MAKE THEM FEEL BETTER AS WELL. I THINK IF OUR SOCIETY WAS A LITTLE KINDER, YOU KNOW, THINGS WOULD BE A LOT BETTER. AS FAR AS THE STORIES, IT’S JUST INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE TO US. THERE ARE TONS OF THEM AND THEY CAN BE SO LITTLE AS HELPING SOMEONE ACROSS THE STREET. IT DOESN’T NEED TO TAKE ANY TYPE OF FINANCIAL MONEY, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT IT’S SIMPLE THINGS. HELPING SOMEONE GET OUT OF THEIR SEAT, HELPING SOMEONE WHEN YOU SEE THEM IN A STORE WHERE THEY’RE BALANCING THINGS, WHETHER IT BE KIDS OR AN OLDER PERSON, JUST LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT. AND LIKE YOU SAID, THERE’S BEEN SO MANY STORIES ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM AND YOU KNOW, WE CONTINUE TO WANT TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE AND WANT PEOPLE TO CONTINUE TO DO THOSE THINGS AND JUST INCORPORATE THEM INTO THEIR DAILY LIVES. AND THE WORK TOWARDS HEALING DOESN’T STOP THERE. THE DIRECTOR OF THE 1027 HEALING PARTNERSHIP AND THE CEO OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER SAY THEY ARE WORKING EVERY DAY TO COMFORT THE COMMUNITY. I’M JOINED NOW BY BRYAN SCHREIBER OF THE JC CENTER FOR LOVING KINDNESS AND MAGGIE FEINSTEIN FROM THE 1027 HEALING PROJECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SITTING DOWN WITH US TODAY AND SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AT THIS VERY TENDER TIME. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. MAGGIE, WE’RE GOING TO START WITH YOU. WHAT DO YOU WANT MOST PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE WORD HEALING? IT TAKES SO MANY FORMS AND SHAPES, ESPECIALLY WHAT YOU’RE DOING WITH THE PARTNERSHIP. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAL? I LOVE THAT QUESTION. THANK YOU. AND I THINK MOSTLY THAT HEALING IS AN ACT OF VERB IS WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW. I DON’T THINK THAT WE EVER GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE’VE STOPPED HEALING AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW IS THAT’S ACTUALLY SOMETHING WE SHOULD ASPIRE TO, IS TO KEEP HEALING FROM A LOT OF THINGS. AND THAT HEALING ISN’T SOMETHING THAT THAT ENDS. SO I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT SPECIFICALLY AS IT COMES TO COMMUNITY HEALING RELATED TO A COMMUNAL TRAUMA LIKE THE ATTACK ON 1027, 2018, THAT HEALING IS SOMETHING THAT WILL COME IN WAVES AND I DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL SURPRISED WHEN THAT HAPPENS. AND THAT IS TOTALLY NATURAL, THAT HEALING IS SOMETHING THAT SOMETIMES WE THOUGHT WE HAD ARRIVED AT A CERTAIN PLACE AND WE REALIZE THAT MAYBE WE HAVE TO KEEP WORKING THERE. AND YOU KNOW, BRIAN, YOU AND THE FOLKS AT THE JCC, YOU REALLY REDEFINED WHAT THE WORD NEIGHBOR MEANS. THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED. 1027 CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHY THE JCC FORMED THE CENTER FOR LOVE AND KINDNESS? IT’S THE SAME KIND OF FEELING I’M GETTING WHAT MAGGIE’S SAYING. MIKE, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. THE CENTER FOR LOVE AND KINDNESS ACTUALLY BEGAN 49 MONTHS BEFORE THE SHOOTING. IT REALLY BEGAN REALLY WITH THE VISION OF RABBI RON SIMONS, WHO COULDN’T BE HERE TODAY ABOUT REALLY LEANING INTO OUR HISTORY AS A SETTLEMENT HOUSE, AS A COMMUNITY CENTER, AS A PLACE THAT WELCOMED ALL, INSPIRED BY OUR OWN JEWISH VALUES, BUT RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO CARE NOT JUST FOR OUR OWN COMMUNITY, BUT FOR OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS AS WELL, AND BRINGING THEM TOGETHER, LITTLE DID WE KNOW JUST HOW THAT BRIDGE BUILDING WORK WOULD BE SO BENEFICIAL FOR OUR COMMUNITY WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE HORRIBLE ATTACK 14 MONTHS LATER. THERE’S SO MUCH POSITIVITY AND GOODNESS I SEE IN YOUR EYES AND EVERY TIME YOU MAKE A PUBLIC APPEARANCE, I KNOW IT’S NOT EASY. YOU’RE ALSO THE VOICE OF THE VICTIMS FAMILIES. THAT MUST BE A BURDEN FOR BOTH OF YOU. BUT ALSO I SEE A JOY THAT YOU’RE ABLE TO CARRY THEIR MESSAGE. WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT THE FAMILIES WHO YOU TALK TO AND WORK WITH EVERY DAY? AND I THINK OF MYSELF AS NOT A VOICE OF ANY ONE OF THOSE FAMILIES, BECAUSE THEY ALL HAVE REALLY BEAUTIFUL VOICES. BUT IN SOME WAYS, THE WAY THAT THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER HAS LONG BEEN KIND OF A COLLECTION OF VOICE OF A COMMUNITY WITHOUT IT BEING JUST ONE PERSON’S VOICE. SIMILARLY, I THINK THE RESPONSIBILITY WE TAKE IS JUST LISTENING DEEPLY AND THEN TRYING TO REFLECT WHAT WE’RE UNDERSTANDING AND HEARING FROM THE VICTIMS AND THE FAMILIES AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT’S SO IMPORTANT IS REALLY ALLOWING THERE TO BE DIVERSITY IN THOSE VOICES AND HEARING THEIR VOICES AND HEARING THAT THERE’S SO MUCH DIVERSITY IN THE WAY PEOPLE APPROACH PROBLEMS. AND THAT’S ACTUALLY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS, BUT THAT THERE ALSO IS WAYS IN WHICH THE VALUES, SINCE IT WAS AN ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACK IN A JEWISH INSTITUTION, THAT THE VALUES THAT REALLY UNDERPIN HAVE SO MUCH SO MUCH RESONANCE WITH ALL OF THEM. BUT IT’S SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO RESPECT THOSE DIFFERENT VIEWS, RIGHT? AS EVERYONE COMES TOGETHER. ABSOLUTELY. AND EVERYBODY HEALS DIFFERENTLY. AND SO I THINK OUR GREATEST GIFT AND I’VE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM MAGGIE OVER THE YEARS IS REALLY MAKING SPACE FOR THOSE DIFFERENT VOICES TO COME. AND WHILE YOUR INSTINCT IS TO BE SO PROTECTIVE AND I KNOW IN THOSE EARLIEST DAYS THAT REALLY WAS A CLARION CALL AS THOSE VOICES EMERGED MAKING SPACE AND TIME AND MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE VOICES ARE HONORED AND THAT THOSE FAMILIES CAN SPEAK FREELY AND THAT THEY HAVE A PLACE OF SUPPORT, THAT THEY CAN TURN TO THAT ALLOWS THEM TO ELEVATE THEIR OWN THEIR OWN VOICE, BUT ALSO A SPACE FOR THEIR OWN HEALING. HEARING FROM SO MANY PEOPLE, PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS, PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE A FAITH BACKGROUND, YOU DO LISTEN TO EVERYONE. WHAT HAVE YOU PERSONALLY LEARNED? I’LL ASK YOU THIS QUESTION ABOUT PEOPLE AND THEIR RESPONSE TO TRAGEDIES LIKE THIS. I’VE LEARNED SO MUCH, IT’S ALMOST HARD TO EVEN ENCAPSULATE BECAUSE THE TRUTH IS IN THE MOMENTS WHERE WE FEEL BROKEN, YOU ACTUALLY GET TO SEE HUMANITY IN A WAY THAT OTHER PEOPLE DON’T GET TO SEE. AND SO I WILL SAY THAT BOTH FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WERE DIRECTLY IMPACTED AND THEN THE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE THEMSELVES MORE VULNERABLE TO OPEN THEMSELVES UP TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE EXPERIENCES OF THE FAMILIES OR THE SURVIVORS OR THE VICTIMIZED CONGREGATIONS. WHAT I’VE SEEN IS I’VE SEEN FAITH LEADERS WHO HAVE DEEPLY LOOKED AT JEWISH FAITH. THEY MAY BE FROM DIFFERENT FAITHS, AND THEY’VE DEEPLY LOOKED AT JEWISH FAITH TO BETTER UNDERSTAND. I’VE SEEN CHURCHES. THERE’S A CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE NORTH SIDE THAT’S BEEN TALKING MUCH MORE ABOUT UNDERSTANDING JEWISH TRADITION AS WELL AS JEWISH RITUAL AS A WAY TO COMBAT MIS CONCEPTIONS. THOSE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN OFTEN IN THE SILENCE. NOBODY REALLY KNOWS THAT THAT’S HAPPENING. SO WHAT I’VE LEARNED IS I’VE LEARNED THAT IF ALL OF US LOOK AROUND, THERE’S SOMEONE WHO’S GOING THROUGH SOMETHING DIFFICULT. WE HAVE SOME ABILITY TO EMPATHIZE WITH THEM OR TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SHOES THEY’RE WALKING IN. AND SO I GET TO SEE THAT ALL THE TIME WHERE I STAND IN TERMS OF TEN, 27, 2018. BUT I ALSO MYSELF HAVE LEARNED TO THINK SO DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THAT THAN I WOULD HAVE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE. STILL AHEAD, THE ACTIONS OF ONE INDIVIDUAL SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HAUNT PEOPLE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. DIFFERENT FAITHS ARE COMING TOGETHER. HOW THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IS STILL SUPPORTING THE SYNAGOGUES, SHOOTING VICTIMS. A POWERFUL MOMENT FROM. 2018 THAT A STANDING OVATION IN RESPONSE TO THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY, RAISING $70,000 FOR THE SHOOTING VICTIMS JUST DAYS AFTER THE ATTACK, WE CAUGHT UP WITH OZY MOHAMMED, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE TIME OF THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF PITTSBURGH. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT THESE PAST FOUR AND A HALF YEARS? YOU KNOW, I THINK JUST WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT FOR YEARS WE TALKED ABOUT AFTER NINE OVER 11, HOW THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CAME AND SURROUNDED US AND SHOWED UP TO OUR PLACES OF WORSHIP AND MADE THE SAME OFFERS THAT THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY HAD TO MAKE. UNFORTUNATELY, SEVERAL YEARS LATER, THAT IT WAS A CONTINUATION OF THE WORK. YOU KNOW, IN 2018. AND EVER SINCE THEN, IT’S ANOTHER CONTINUATION. MYSELF, COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND EVERYBODY HAS JUST STAYED WITH THAT TOGETHERNESS. WE’VE GROWN EVEN CLOSER. WE’VE HAD MORE AND MORE OPPORTUNITIES IN THOSE YEARS TO NOT ONLY DO EVENTS TOGETHER AND DO BIG PUBLIC THINGS, BUT JUST TO SHARE MEALS, INTERFAITH IFTAR, SHABBAT DINNERS, PASSOVER SEDERS, YOU KNOW, AND JUST BE TOGETHER AND JUST IT’S BEEN IT’S CONTINUING AND IT’S STILL GOING ON. NOT EVERYTHING IS SEEN PUBLICLY, BUT THOSE ARE THE STUFF THAT I THINK ARE PARTICULARLY MEANINGFUL. YOU KNOW, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS. DESCRIBE FROM WHERE YOU ARE. YEAH. HOW DOES THIS TRANSCEND RELIGION? SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT FAITHS CAME TOGETHER. YEAH, IT’S WITHIN OUR PROPHETIC TRADITION TO STAND WITH OUR COMMUNITIES AND IT’S MOTIVATED BY OUR --. MANY COMMUNITIES OF FAITH AND MANY THOSE WITHOUT FAITH WERE MOTIVATED BECAUSE IT WAS A MOMENT THAT ALL OF US IMMEDIATELY REACTED IN A WAY THAT WANTED TO SHOW EVERYBODY THAT THIS IS NOT HOW WE ALL FEEL. YOU KNOW, WHEN I REMEMBER AT THE TIME WE’VE HAD ATTACKS LIKE THIS, YOU START LOOKING AT THE CITY DIFFERENTLY. YOU START SEEING JUST THE DARK CORNERS. YOU START SEEING EVERYTHING WITH A DARKER TINT. AND WE WERE LIKE TO BE ABLE TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THAT. YOU KNOW, THIS WAS SOMETHING OUR FAITH CALLS FOR, BUT ALL OF OUR HUMANITY CALLS FOR THAT. WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT OUR NEIGHBORS FEEL WELCOME HERE. AND IT DOESN’T MATTER THE ACTIONS OF ONE INDIVIDUAL SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HAUNT PEOPLE FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES AND THEN WE KNOW THAT’S NOTHING WE CAN EVER FORGET AND NOTHING THAT WE EVER PLANNED TO FORGET. WE PLAN TO HONOR THEIR MEMORIES FOREVER, BUT IN THE SAME TIME, WE CANNOT LET PEOPLE LIVE THE REST OF THEIR LIVES THINKING THIS IS A CITY THAT DOESN’T WANT THEM HERE. SO WE’RE GOING TO EMBRACE TIGHTER, YOU KNOW, DO ANYTHING WE CAN TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT’S NOT THE FEELING THAT PEOPLE LEAVE WITH. AND OUR SOLIDARITY ALL THE DIFFERENT FAITH COMMUNITIES AND THOSE WITHOUT FAITH THAT CHOSE TO CAME TOGETHER. THAT’S WHAT I THINK ABOUT AND THAT’S WHAT I REMEMBER. THESE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, THE STRONG PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE WITH COURAGE, AS YOU MENTIONED, THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE I THINK ABOUT. YOU’RE WATCHING LISTENS. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK. WE WELCOME BACK TO WPTV LISTENS WHETHER YOU LIVE IN ONE OF PITTSBURGH’S NEIGHBORHOODS OR ANY SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, TELL US ABOUT WHAT’S WRONG AND WHAT’S RIGHT IN YOUR AREA SO WE CAN LISTEN. YOU CAN SEND US AN EMAIL. WPTV LISTENS AT. COM. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. HAVE A GOOD WEEK.