Family members and survivors of Tree of Life Synagogue shooting speak at Eradicate Hate Global Summit
By Ashley Zilka
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PITTSBURGH (WTAE) — For the third year in a row, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit is in Pittsburgh.
The conference was influenced by the deadly shooting inside the Tree of Life Synagogue nearly five years ago.
From federal law enforcement specialists to mass shooting survivors, people are sharing their personal stories and experiences throughout the three-day event.
Audrey Glickman survived the largest antisemitic attack in U.S. history on Oct. 27, 2018.
“He didn’t just come in and shoot up a crowd. He brutally murdered each individual person. If there ever was a hate crime, that’s it,” Glickman said.
The Eradicate Hate Global Summit comes just months after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial. Survivors and their families were told to save their testimony for the courtroom.
“Until these four years had passed, I really couldn’t say what I wanted to say that was accumulating as other people spoke for me. Now, we can talk about it,” Glickman said.
Amy Mallinger’s grandmother, Rose Mallinger, was killed in the shooting.
She was a part of the discussions at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Wednesday.
“I remember the first day in opening statements, the attorney started talking about my grandmother, and I just lost all of my emotions that I thought I had worked on so much, but you can’t prepare yourself for that,” Mallinger said.
Jodi Kart’s father, Melvin Wax, was also killed in the shooting.
“I remember walking into the courtroom and to the right, seeing the jury box, and seeing those empty seats and knowing that 12 strangers were going to make this decision for us,” Jodi Kart said.
Kart stood in solidarity with others and called for an end to hate.
“This never goes away. You live with it for the rest of your life every single day. There is not closure for me, but this piece of the book, this chapter, has closed,” Kart said.
The summit runs through Friday.
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