Tom Hanks joins campaign to turn Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue into anti-racism center

“We will transform a site of hate and tragedy into a site of hope, remembrance and education,” said the rabbi of the synagogue where 11 people were murdered in 2018.

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(JTA) — Actor Tom Hanks and singer Billy Porter have agreed to help lead a fundraising campaign to help turn Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue into an anti-racism center.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Joanne Rogers, wife of the late television show host Fred Rogers, will also be members of a “cabinet” to support the renovation of the Tree of Life building, where a gunman killed 11 Jews in 2018, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said in a statement Wednesday.

“Through this effort and with the support of people of all backgrounds, we will transform a site of hate and tragedy into a site of hope, remembrance and education,” the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle quoted Myers as saying.

The community is raising funds for the project in a campaign titled “Remember. Rebuild. Renew.” Reports about did not specify the campaign’s fundraising goal.

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