Author Mark Oppenheimer Speaks on “Pittsburgh and Beyond: Antisemitism from the 2018 Synagogue Shooting to Today”

Join Wilton Library and the Wilton Coalition to Combat Antisemitism for an important talk, “Pittsburgh and Beyond: Antisemitism from the 2018 Synagogue Shooting to Today,” by Mark Oppenheimer, on Monday, March 25 at 7 p.m. Oppenheimer is a NY Times columnist, Pulitzer grantee and the author of Squirrel Hill, the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood.

Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in the country, known for its tight-knit community and the profusion of multigenerational families. On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven Jews who were worshiping at the Tree of Life Synagogue — the most deadly anti-Semitic attack in American history.

Many neighborhoods would be understandably subsumed by despair and recrimination after such an event, but not this one. Oppenheimer poignantly shifts the focus away from the criminal and his crime, and instead presents the historic, spirited community at the center of this heartbreak. He even speaks with residents and nonresidents, Jews and gentiles, survivors and witnesses, teenagers and seniors, activists and historians.

Together, these stories provide a kaleidoscopic and nuanced account of collective grief, love, support, and revival. Yet, he additionally details the difficult dialogue and messy confrontations that Squirrel Hill had to face in the process of healing. These necessary steps are a part of true growth and understanding in any community. He has reverently captured the vibrancy and caring that still characterize Squirrel Hill, and it is this phenomenal resilience that can provide inspiration to any place burdened with discrimination and hate.

Oppenheimer has covered American religion for 25 years. He holds a PhD in religious studies from Yale, and has taught at Stanford, Wesleyan, Wellesley, NYU, Boston College, and Yale. He also was the founding director of the Yale Journalism Initiative. On top of that, he wrote the “Beliefs” column for The New York Times from 2010 – 2016, and has written for The New Yorker, The Nation, GQ, Slate, and many more. Oppenheimer notably created Unorthodox, the world’s most popular podcast about Jewish life and culture, and more recently hosted the multi-part podcast, Gatecrashers. This discussed the history of Jews and antisemitism at Ivy League schools. He is the author of five books, including Squirrel Hill. Since 2023, he has been Director of Open Learning at American Jewish University and lives in Connecticut with his wife, four daughters, one son, and two dogs.

Elm Street Books will sell copies of the book, which the author will sign after the program.

Presented in partnership with Wilton Library, the Wilton Coalition to Combat Antisemitism, and the Riverbrook Regional YMCA, serving Wilton, Norwalk, and Redding, the media sponsor for this event is GOOD Morning Wilton.

Registration is required online or call 203.761.6334.