... a poignant, deeply researched account of the Pittsburgh Jewish neighborhood in the aftermath of tragedy ... propulsive ... He does a lovely job of bringing the essence of this charming, walkable place to life ... How 'Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood' became the site of the most deadly antisemitic attack on American soil and what happened afterward unfold with the precision of the best suspense stories ... Oppenheimer is sympathetic to the ways Jewish culture stands at the crossroads of proud resistance and self-protective withdrawal, bold activism and self-effacement. The people he highlights are treated with a knowing, affectionate wink, a landsman’s recognition.
His compelling exploration of its impact on the community is by turns searing and compassionate. It is an emotionally draining terrain, flecked with occasional, unexpected pockets of consolation. But in placing this hate crime against our country’s patchwork canvas of faith, politics and violence, Oppenheimer provides a powerful meditation on the changing meaning of community and belonging in an age of disconnection and isolation ... Nonetheless...I wanted Oppenheimer to dig deeper into the psychological impact and the enduring ache that trauma leaves behind ... his familiarity [with Squirrel Hill] lends his empathic interviews depth and nuance ... he is consistently attuned to the pulse of the reeling community as it struggles to regain some sense of balance.
If you are wondering if an outsider could hope to capture the mood—maybe even the soul—of a neighborhood to which he does not belong following an unthinkably horrific event, I tender this take: Perhaps an outsider, as it turns out, is best suited to do so. Oppenheimer’s being far enough removed from Squirrel Hill allows him to observe meaningful details that could be too close in the line of vision for natives to see as clearly. Oppenheimer reports with candor and clarity in 18 chapters ... To be sure, he doesn’t cover everything that occurred in the year after the shooting, but he covers a lot and he does it well ... For the most part, the author’s depictions of people and events throughout Squirrel Hill are accurate and honest—sometimes to a fault: He exposes the good, as well as the not-so-good, in several community members. While those warts are surely there, I wondered if it was really necessary to reveal them ... In focusing his lens on the individuals who are Squirrel Hill, Oppenheimer has created an inspiring portrait of a resilient and, yes, loving community.
His immersive account—which also sheds light on the attack’s antecedents, historical context, and especially its geographic setting—is granular in its detail, emotionally intimate and often moving ... Oppenheimer’s narrative is a mosaic of stories told from the perspective of various characters ... The opening chapters...are particularly intense and affecting ... Oppenheimer’s dense reporting concentrates on the year following the massacre. But any ending is, of course, merely a literary contrivance ... For the foreseeable future, Squirrel Hill’s story—of grief, trauma and resilience—will continue.
... a vivid and deeply empathetic look at Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood in the aftermath of the October 2018 mass killing of 11 worshippers at a local synagogue ... Deeply reported and elegantly written, this is a powerful portrait of grief and resilience
In this wonderfully rendered narrative, Oppenheimer deftly shows how, when emotions are raw, the best intentions can misfire or fail to satisfy everyone ... While the Tree of Life massacre targeted Jews, this book abounds with insights for cities facing the aftermath of any mass-casualty event. A stunning book that offers an eloquent portrait of an antisemitic attack and its effect on a neighborhood.
