The $5.45 million that has been donated to Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha following the October 2018 shooting that killed 11 worshippers—the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history—will be given to survivors, first responders, congregations and families of the victims.
The victims’ families will receive more than $3 million; those who were in the building during the shooting and survived will get $215,162; and those who were on the premises will be given $23,905.
About $1.3 million will be allocated towards rebuilding or restoring the synagogue.
Two of the congregations in the building, Dor Hadash and New Light, will each receive more than $240,000.
Another $200,000 will be given in honor of the first responders, while around $234,000 will be donated towards memorialization.
The three congregations requested and accepted an independent panel’s recommendations on how the donations from around the world should be allocated.
This funding is separate from the Victims of Terror fund, which was created by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and which raised another $6.3 million.
“The federation announced the distribution for those funds in March 2019, with the majority going to the individuals who suffered the most immediate impact, and with other funds going to such recipients as the congregations, the first responders and a memorial,” reported The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which also wrote on about how the $5.45 million was allocated.
“No amount of money can fully compensate for loss of life, serious wounds and congregational damage,” said the panel in its report, though that it “hopes that these payments will serve as a comforting reminder of the expression of compassion that came from thousands of people around the world.”
