ISSUE

Pittsburgh changed forever on Oct. 27, 2018. 11 Jews were killed in the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history. In the immediate aftermath, the community mourned and rallied together. The longer term is more complicated. Because the attack affected every institution and individual in Pittsburgh’s Jewish community (and many beyond it), all of them are – in a sense – stakeholders in how the event should be remembered and what are its lessons for policymakers.  

The 10.27 Healing Partnership is the federally funded resiliency center created to serve the direct and indirect victims with services, programming, the annual Commemoration Ceremony, and more. It is first and foremost a counseling provider to survivors of the attack and family members of its victims. The Healing Partnership hired Ceisler Media in 2020 to support and promote their work, and at the same time to navigate the delicate relationships between Jewish community organizations, public officials, and others. This balancing act was crucial throughout the trial of the perpetrator in 2023.

STRATEGY

The 2023 trial was a lengthy and fraught event for the community. The victims couldn’t give interviews for fear of impacting the trial. We needed to prevent a media frenzy that pressured them to speak, or alternatively allowed others to speak for them unwanted.  

Ceisler Media developed and executed a multi-pronged strategic plan to ensure that news coverage was trauma-informed and victim-centered. We:

• Worked closely with the victims; families and survivors to media train them and education the on the newsmaking process.  

• Worked closely with Jewish community institutions, including the three congregations that were attacked, to develop guidelines for media interaction. We developed a list of individuals covering various perspectives, and worked closely with them and with producers to coordinate interviews throughout the trial.  

• Every entity had a designated topic area: The Jewish Federation ran point on antisemitism and physical security; the congregations led on Jewish life and ritual; the Jewish Community Center on community programming; the Healing Partnership on mental health and trauma; a Healing Partnership-affiliated law professor talked about the legal process; elected officials talked about proposed legislation; Squirrel Hill Stands led on gun safety reform; etc.  

• We coordinated an off-the-record media meeting with local and national outlets and families and survivors to enhance their rapport and mutually prepare.  

• We similarly connected with elected officials of both parties, to keep them in the loop.  
• During the four-month trial process, we were the primary media point of contact for the community. We hosted several press conferences and gaggles throughout the trial, including outside the courthouse, to provide commentary. 
• Finally, we organized a post-verdict press conference where families and survivors could finally speak for themselves. A logistical challenge because we had to be ready for the jury to take two hours or two weeks to deliberate. We coordinated and staffed interviews afterward on site and for the following weeks.

RESULT 

Our utmost goal was to empower the families and survivors. Our secondary goal was to engage other Jewish community stakeholders to inform the general public. We are very proud that we achieved both. We were able to demystify media for them and insulate them from unwanted interviews during the trial. At the same time we worked collaboratively with media and community leaders to covey messaging that was victim-centered, trauma-informed, and Jewish literate. At the press conference after the verdict, some of the victims’ families literally thanked the media from the podium, which was an enormous shift from 2018/2019, and something that reporters still bring up to this day.