Pittsburgh leaders on resilience after trauma

Leaders of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh shared crucial lessons for Australian Jewish community organisations navigating recovery after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack when speaking to Launchpad alumni at JewishCare NSW last week.

Federation CEO Jeff Finkelstein, who led the Pittsburgh community’s response after the Tree of Life shooting killed 11 people in 2018, emphasised the importance of decisive leadership in crisis.

“Delegate, trust, and take risks with the right heart behind it,” Finkelstein said. “You can clean it up later. Don’t let process get in the way of doing what needs to be done.”

Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, outlined three types of trauma affecting communities: primary (those directly affected), secondary (those who witnessed it), and vicarious (those who feel they could have been targeted).

“People living in California who never visited Pittsburgh still experienced trauma because they could picture themselves at that synagogue,” Feinstein said.