PITTSBURGH — Over six years since the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, families and friends of the victims came together to recognize a special dedication at Taylor Allderdice High School following a theft.
“The trees will actually connect; we planted trees that will spread out and their branches will touch,” said Buddy Valinsky who was a teacher and basketball coach at Allderdice.
>> Tree of Life memorial plaque outside Pittsburgh Allderdice missing
Valinsky told Channel 11 it’s a sign that the families will always be intertwined with this community.
In 2019, he helped his students plant 11 trees and dedicate a plaque in memory of those lost in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. Now, five years after it was installed, that plaque was stolen from the spot where it once sat on the school’s campus.
“I was pretty upset,” said Gabi Kunzman, a junior at Allderdice High School. “With the rise in antisemitism here and across the country, I felt less and less safe wearing my Jewish necklace out, and I thought it was important to recognize this hateful act.”
Nearly one month after that theft, students came together to rededicate a new plaque in honor of the victims.
“Maybe this is a blessing in some ways that it was taken,” said Valinsky. “Now, six years later, we are getting this coverage, and their memories will hopefully never be forgotten. So maybe it’s a silver lining, a good thing.”
A moment these families will never forget, and a message that students continue to honor: Stronger Than Hate.
“As Alan Mallinger and Andrea Wedner said, they went here, so this place is still very special to them. Their families being remembered like this is special for them, so it’s special for us,” said Jordan Block, a sophomore at Allderdice High School.
As for the theft, no suspects were identified and Pittsburgh Public Schools continues to investigate.
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