On Oct. 27, 2018, the deadliest anti-sematic attack in the U.S. took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Three years later, the city is coming together to commemorate the victims and remember the attack that shook the Jewish community.

Due to COVID-19, this is the first time in two years that the city was able to hold an in-person commemoration.

Many people such as clergy, politicians, first responders, and ordinary citizens came together for the first time since 2019, to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the vicious attack.

“For me, and I think for everyone else, it’s really important to be able to be together…It’s really important to be able to be together, to touch, to hug,” said Tree of Life vice president, Alan Hausman, speaking about the pandemic to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The gathering took place in Schenley Park, where 11 trees were planted for each person lost in the rampage.

Part of the ceremony included a candle lighting by the victims’ families, alongside prayers from Jewish community leaders and performances of traditional Hebrew songs.

Two survivors, Dan Leger and Marty Gaynor, sang a psalm after reading a poem during the commemoration.

Alongside the ceremony having an amazing turnout, recognition of the attack was not restricted to just the people of Pittsburgh.

Asaf Zamir, consul general for Israel in New York, stated how when Jews are attacked anywhere in the world, it feels like a local event in Israel.

“The bond between Pittsburgh and Israel has always been strong, and this event tragically made it strong,” Zamir said in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The ceremony concluded with the placing of 11 stones by the pictures of the victims, a Jewish tradition for those who have passed.

Although this event establishes a new peaceful ground for those who perished at the hands of hatred, there happens to be a deeper problem facing the world.

Acts of anti-Semitism are on the rise.

Since the annihilation of approximately six million Jews in World War 2, the international message was to make sure no such hatred will brew for a group of people ever again.

But, here we are in present day, with attacks like the Dec. 10, 2019 rampage on Jews at a kosher deli, and the Dec. 28, 2019 attack on a rabbi’s home during a Hanukkah celebration, which have only ignited the need for change.

Countries such as Canada, Germany, France, and the United States have reported steady increases in anti-Semitic incidents since 2017, with a growing percentage of them being physically violent.

I even overheard many awful comments about the Jewish community from our own school.

In the beginning of November, a few days after the anniversary of the attack, I wore my Stronger Then Hate hoodie. It depicts the widely known Steelers design, but the yellow diamond is replaced with the Star of David.

Throughout the day, I was ridiculed and insulted for wearing the hoodie by numerous students of both middle and high school, all of them obviously lacking common morals and respect, and proving that hatred has no limit.

In the midst of all this, I can say that there were some teachers who acknowledged the message I was trying to send by wearing the hoodie.

The whole world can only hope that these horrific events and hostile remarks ignite a catalyst for change in the Jewish community.