'Parkland to Pittsburgh' to bring Stoneman Douglas, Tree of Life communities together

Survivors of last year’s shooting at a Parkland, Florida., high school will join with members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community this weekend for a remembrance of victims killed in the October massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue.

The program, Parkland to Pittsburgh, is described by the Jewish Community Center as “three days of healing, resilience and community building,” according to a release from the center. The events will see parents, teachers and students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School join with members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Center.

A former Stoneman Douglas student opened fire Feb. 14, 2018, killing 17 people in the school. A Baldwin man gunned down 11 congregants at the Squirrel Hill synagogue Oct. 27 in an anti-Semitic attack.

The program will start Friday morning with an assembly at Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill. The 9 a.m. assembly will include a discussion among students and Parkland survivors on gun violence in places like schools, places of worship and in neighborhoods.

At 10 a.m., Parkland survivors will meet with leaders from the New Light, Tree of Life, or L’Simcha and Dor Hadash congregations, as well as leaders from the Jewish Community Center. There, at the site of the Oct. 27 massacre, they will hold a moment of silence.

On Saturday, the Pirates will recognize members of the JCC and Parkland delegation at their 1:35 p.m. game against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Parkland survivors’ trip to Pittsburgh ends Sunday as they volunteer alongside hundreds of local teenagers for JServe, an international day of community service by Jewish youths.