Rabbi Cheryl Klein, one of the clergy whose Pittsburgh congregations were directly impacted by the attack in the Tree of Life building on October 27, 2018, will speak on the topic of “Contemplating Jewish Memory” in a virtual presentation as part of the Daniel Pearl Education Center Speaker Series on Tuesday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Rabbi Klein served as the cantor at Congregation Dor Hadash in Pittsburgh when her congregation was the target of the worst anti-Semitic violent massacre in U.S. history. Eleven congregants were murdered and six injured that day in a mass shooting that devastated the Pittsburgh Jewish community and sent shock waves across the country and around the world.

Rabbi Klein, who in the aftermath of the attack became interim rabbi at Dor Hadash, will talk about Jewish history and how, over the generations, Jews have always dealt with hatred and anti-Semitism. She will share her thoughts on how “remembering” may be used as a tool for healing and resilience.

“We cannot even imagine the experience of being a clergy member and then having to lead your congregation following this kind of tragedy,” said Dr. Andy Boyarsky, chair of the Daniel Pearl Education Center. “As we said at that time, there is no way to make sense of senseless violence. We look forward to hearing Rabbi Klein’s wise words in the aftermath of the attack that occurred in Tree of Life building and the anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred we are unfortunately seeing today.”

Today, Rabbi Klein serves as cantor emerita of Reconstructionist Congregation Dor Hadash after having served her congregation for 33 years. Receiving rabbinical ordination has strengthened Rabbi Klein’s conviction to serve and preserve Jewish tradition as an officiant at life cycle events and ritual services and as a public speaker, teacher and writer.

A native Pittsburgher, Rabbi Klein is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, earning a Master’s in Teaching, and was the Head of the School of Advanced Jewish Studies (SAJS) in Pittsburgh for a number of years. She and her husband Mark are the proud parents of a daughter, three sons and their children’s spouses, along with several grandchildren.

Rabbi Klein will present virtually, and attendees are asked to participate via a YouTube link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=u-GqjOaW_eE&feature=youtu.be

Recent speakers in the Daniel Pearl Education Center Speaker Series have included: Tali Nates, a noted historian and founder and executive director of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre in South Africa; Mark Newhouse, renowned author of the The Devil’s Bookkeeper Holocaust fiction series, and Lauren Hersh, executive director of World Without Exploitation, an organization dedicated to the eradication of human trafficking. Previous speakers have included: Dr. Perry Brickman, who was the subject of a documentary, “From Silence to Recognition: Confronting Discrimination in Emory’s Dental School History”; Dr. Berndt Wollschlaeger, the son of a decorated Nazi tank commander who traveled to Israel, converted to Judaism and later served in the Israel Defense Forces; representatives of Seton Hall University as part of the showing of Sister Rose’s Passion, a documentary film that examines the life of Sister Rose Thering, a Roman Catholic nun and former professor at Seton Hall University who battled anti-Semitism within her church and contributed to a historic Vatican declaration that Jews were not collectively responsible for the death of Jesus; Sheryl Olitzky, co-founder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom; legendary high school basketball coach Bob Hurley, who spoke about providing oppor-tunities and guidance to underprivileged youth; and best-selling author Yvette Manessis Corporon (Something Beautiful Happened), who spoke about survival and courage in the face of evil; and the Ty-ler Clementi Foundation’s Jane Clementi, who lost her son Tyler to suicide after he became the victim of homophobic cyber bullying.

The Daniel Pearl Education Center is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to the ideals of understanding and community – those principles that are part of the legacy of the late Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Pearl was kidnapped and later murdered by extremists in Pakistan in early 2002. The DPEC sponsors a wide range of community outreach programs, including an annual community youth trip to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and more. The DPEC annually participates in the global Daniel Pearl Music Days, an international network of concerts that use the power of music to reaffirm a commitment to humanity and understanding.

Please contact dpeccommittee@gmail.com with any questions.