(November 6, 2019 / JNS) A time capsule buried in 1906 was uncovered on Monday during the demolition of the Pittsburgh Playhouse, which once housed the Tree of Life synagogue, CBS Pittsburgh reported.
Past and present members of Tree of Life, and the congregation’s Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, gathered for the opening of the time capsule that was encased in the cornerstone of the building, originally constructed as the second synagogue for Tree of Life.
Because of slight water damage to some of the items in the metal box, it will be a while before some of them can be read, said Eric Ledji, director of Jewish archives at the Heinz History Center who is responsible for sorting out the contents of the box.
So far, it is known that the box contains old Pittsburgh newspapers, bank deposit books, some letters and envelopes, a green Heinz pickle pin and what Ledji believes to be a Jewish calendar “that helps you understand what the different prayers are as you are moving through the Jewish year.”
The items are a reminder of the role the synagogue has played in the history of the Pittsburgh Jewish community.
“They had this long history before, and it sort of suggest that they will have this long history after,” said Ledji. “It’s just wonderful to be able to help them have that moment of being able to connect to a piece of their past at this particular moment in their present.”
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