Jan. 17 (UPI) — Demolition of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue has begun, some five years after it became the site of the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
Crews began tearing down the building Wednesday morning. Plans for the site will see 80% of the old building demolished, leaving one of its four congregants intact to act as the main sanctuary for worship services in the new multipurpose Tree of Life facility and memorial that will be constructed in its place.
“It’s a very emotional day,” Tree of Life Congregation President Alan Hausman told Pittsburg’s WTAE.
“There’s a lot of memories into this building. Lifecycle events, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, many Shabbat services, people being together. And then it’s also on the other side, a very exciting day to see a new beginning, rebirth. A chance to really make a big difference in the world as we know it today.”
On Oct. 27, 2018, the synagogue became a site of tragedy when a gunman armed with a Ar-15-style rifle opened fire on those attending religious services, killing 11 people.
The gunman, identified as Robert Bowers, was found guilty in June on 63 federal charges, including 33 related to the 11 deaths. In August, Bowers was sentenced to death.
Demolition of the site is expected to take months, with construction of the new facility planned to begin sometime in the middle of the year and take two more years to complete at a cost of some $75 million, of which Michael Bernstein, chair of the Tree of Life Interim Governance Committee, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette $30 million had so far been raise.
“It’s one of the few sites in America where you can come and visit where history was made,” Bernstein told CBS News. “Unfortunately, it’s a dark history but a history nonetheless, and I think an opportunity to learn from that is going to draw quite a few visitors.”