Plaque for Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims stolen, investigations ongoing

A plaque commemorating the 11 victims of the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh was recently discovered missing from outside Taylor Allderdice High School in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, local media and Anti-Defamation League officials reported on Wednesday. 

The shooting, on October 27, 2018, was the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history.

The school’s boys basketball team donated the plaque and planted 11 trees in memory of the shooting victims; Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil and David Rosenthal, Bernice and Sylvan Simon, Dan Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger.

Alan Mallinger, whose mother Rose was killed in the attack, told CBS News, “I think it was nice for the community to see the kids getting behind, you know what happened at the Tree of Life.”

Investigations are ongoing

A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Schools confirmed the school was reviewing security footage but has not yet found any leads. 

A replacement plaque has been ordered and police are investigating the incident.

“I hope that you know, that this person, or people, whoever did this, you know, would return the plaque,” Mallinger said. “Let’s hope that, you know, nothing like this happens in the future.”

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt commented on the incident, writing on social media on Thursday “How do you describe a moment when baseless hatred is so brazen and loud while the silence of so many self identified “social justice activists” is utterly deafening. No words.”