Barb Feige named executive director at Tree of Life

Barb Feige is the new executive director at Tree of Life * Or L’Simcha Congregation in Squirrel Hill.

She was chosen this month to help guide the synagogue, the site of the tragedy in October where 11 people were killed, into the future.

Feige has more than two decades of non-profit management professional experience.

“On behalf of our Board of Trustees, I am excited to announce that Barb will be joining Tree of Life in this full-time leadership capacity,” said Sam Schachner, board president of Tree of Life, in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in the weeks and months ahead as we plan for the High Holidays, the memorials and tributes that will mark the one-year commemoration honoring the victims of last October’s tragedy, and assisting in creating and then implementing the plan for our future.”

In a news release, Feige said her “first steps will be to listen and to understand — in every sense — where we are, what we want to do, and how to best accomplish our priorities.”

A Duquesne University and University of Pittsburgh graduate, Feige’s prior jobs include working for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, where she served as the deputy director and director of administration. She conducted advocacy efforts and initiated public education programs involving voting rights, marriage equality and immigrants’ rights. 

“I very much wished to return to work in the Jewish community and felt that way before the October 27 tragedy,” she said in a statement. “That event had a further impact on what I wanted to do next. To be able to use my skills for this greater good — to help TOL manage the challenges ahead and to help the community heal — will be a professional challenge and a personal honor.”

Feige is a member of Shaare Torah Congregation, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Squirrel Hill. There, she served as its first female president. At Tree of Life, she will be the only female executive director at a synagogue within the city of Pittsburgh.

The only child of two Holocaust survivors, Feige has been deeply involved in Jewish community organizations, having previously worked for the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, according to the release. She serves on the board of the Hebrew Free Loan Association and has served as a board member of Hillel Academy, Prevention Point Pittsburgh and The Jewish Chronicle. Feige is a recipient of the Sonia and Aaron Levinson Community Relations Award of the Jewish Federation.

Feige replaces Bill O’Rourke, who served as interim executive director. Tree of Life is temporarily conducting services and business operations at Rodef Shalom in Oakland.