Survivors share stories at Eradicate Hate summit in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH —
The Eradicate Hate summit in Pittsburgh began Tuesday with survivors sharing personal stories of loss and resilience, aiming to inspire solutions to combat hate.
“When you look at what happened on October 27th in Pittsburgh in 2018, 11 of our community members were murdered because of hate. But our city stood up. They came together. They told the Pittsburgh story and the neighborhood’s story of how we get over something like that at the Tree of Life,” said Mayor Corey O’Connor, referencing the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill.
The tragedy at the Tree of Life synagogue led to the creation of this global summit, which brings together survivors from around the world to share their experiences and solutions to eradicate hate.
“We then returned to Poland to look for surviving relatives, but all had been murdered except for two out of more than 60,” said Dr. Alfred Garfinkle, a Holocaust survivor who has dedicated his life to studying and writing about the psychological implications of trauma.
Nicole Hockley, co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise, shared her story of loss and her mission to protect children in schools.
“A disturbed young man shot his way into the school and, in less than five minutes, killed 21 first-graders and six educators. Among them was Dylan, who was shot five times and died in the arms of his special education assistant teacher, who also died while trying to protect him,” Hockley said.
The summit continues Wednesday and Thursday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh, featuring more workshops, personal and painful stories, and discussions aimed at finding solutions to eradicate hate.