Date
Event Time
12:00 PM
Cost
No Cost
Location
Online
Event Details
Five Years Later: Reflecting on Tree of Life Synagogue Tragedy
Friday at 12:00pm PDT
October 27, 2023, is the fifth anniversary of the murders at the Tree of Life synagogue building, in Pittsburgh. On that day, anti-immigration zealot Robert Bowers killed 11 Jews, worshipping in the three congregations housed inside. On this important anniversary, join 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim as he interviews Mark Oppenheimer, author of Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood, the definitive book about the attack. They will discuss the murders and the aftermath, including the trial, the sentencing, and the fate of the building.
Mark Oppenheimer received his B.A. in history from Yale in 1996 and his Ph.D. in American religious history from Yale in 2003, the year that he published his first book, Knocking on Heaven's Door: American Religion and the Age of Counterculture. Since then, Oppenheimer has taught at Stanford, Wellesley, NYU, Boston College (where he was the Corcoran Visiting Professor in Christian-Jewish Relations), and Yale, where for sixteen years he directed the Yale Journalism Initiative. From 2010-2016, he wrote The Beliefs column, about religion, for The New York Times. He is the author of numerous magazine articles and five books, the most recent of which is Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood. A popular speaker and lecturer, Oppenheimer is the creator of two podcasts: Unorthodox, about Jewish life and culture, which he hosted from 2015-2023 and which had over seven million downloads, and Gatecrashers: The Hidden History of Jews in the Ivy League (2022). He is currently writing biographies of author Judy Blume and newspaper columnist Ann Landers.
L. Jon Wertheim is an accomplished journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent. His reporting for The News Magazine has spanned sports, culture, and global news. It’s taken him to Saudi Arabia to see how the Kingdom has been shelling out on events and athletes amid accusations of "sportswashing." Wertheim serves as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated, a commentator for Tennis Channel, and an executive producer on various film projects. Wertheim is the author of 11 books including New York Times bestseller Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won. Wertheim has been honored with an Emmy Award for his documentary RIVALS and multiple Emmy nominations for his work at 60 Minutes. Wertheim resides with his wife in New York City.