By Carl Zebrowski
Editor

First came horror to the Pittsburgh Jewish community, when a gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue on the Shabbat morning of October 28, 2018. By the time his shooting spree ended, he’d killed 11 and wounded 6. 

Then came hope and resolve.  In the aftermath of the deadliest attack on a Jewish site in U.S. history, Pittsburgh proved its resilience. That resilience is the focus of the PBS documentary “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life,” which will be screened in the Lehigh Valley at 6 p.m. on September 25 in the Univest Public Media Center at SteelStacks in Bethlehem.

A panel discussion will follow the screening to address the film and what lessons the Lehigh Valley community can learn from it about coming together to counter hate and make the region safer for everyone.  Rabbi Michael Singer of Congregation Brith Sholom, the catalyst behind bringing this public screening to the Valley, will be one of the handful of panelists representing various groups that are often targeted by hate. A Q&A with audience questions will conclude the night.

“We want to see how the community of Pittsburgh responded to this horrific event,” Rabbi Singer said, pointing out that Lehigh Valley groups can learn from the story of Pittsburghers moving forward from tragedy with the goal of creating a better environment for everyone.  “What kind of community, what kind of world, do we want to live in?”

The documentary, created in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, features survivors, family members, and diverse city leaders and community members talking about their experiences after the attack and the unified community-wide effort to heal and improve their situation.

Rabbi Singer said that most people don’t even realize the danger faced by the Jewish community and other groups. “Most people would never imagine we have to have armed guards to worship,” he said. “People should have the right to worship in peace.”

Opening remarks for the screening will be given by Jacqueline C. Romero, U.S. Attorney for the Justice Department’s Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The post-screening discussion will include Romero and panelists Rabbi Singer, Muhammed Said Selmanlar of Peace Islands Institute Pennsylvania, Ashley Coleman of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBTQ Community Center, and Esther Lee of NAACP Bethlehem. The moderator will be Janine Santoro of the City of Bethlehem Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Rabbi Singer believes that events like this film screening and discussion are steps along the way to making our community a better place. 

“Abba,” one of his kids asked, “when will we not have to have an armed guard anymore?”

“I’m working on it,” Rabbi Singer answered.

All are invited to the screening and discussion. Doors open at 5:30. Find more information and register.