Flowers and stones are placed on the memorials erected outside of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Members of Pittsburgh and the Squirrel Hill community pay their respects at the memorial to the 11 victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre perpetrated by suspect Robert Bowers on Saturday, October 27. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) (JTA) — Students at a Jewish day school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh sent messages to marginalized groups and communities that have been victims of mass shootings to mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting at a nearby synagogue building.
The Community Day School is located about a mile from the Tree of Life Synagogue building where one year ago 11 worshippers were killed in a shooting attack.
The students sent postcards to local organizations, such as the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh and the Latino Community Center; and to places throughout the United States such as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. and the Latino Community Church in El Paso, Texas, local news station WITF reported. They also sent messages to local first responders.
“I know I felt very upset when the shooting happened here and I know that nice words helps when you’re thinking sad thoughts,” student Lev Sahud, 10, told a reporter. He wrote in a postcard to the Islamic Center that “Thoughts of love are passed on through people. Thoughts of hope, people already have. Thinking of your hard times of struggle. We are here to help.”
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