Renowned American Jewish architect Daniel Libeskind will be the lead architect in charge of creating a plan for rebuilding the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, site of the worst anti-Semitic attack in US history, reported CBS Pittsburgh.
Libeskind was the architect who crafted the design for the post-9/11 World Trade Center site and also designed the Jewish Museum in Berlin.
The Tree of Life Synagogue has been closed since the October 2018 attack in which 11 congregants were killed by a white supremacist gunman who opened fire during Shabbat services.
The congregation wanted the main building to be used as a synagogue again along with functioning as a memorial so that people can learn about how to resist hate.
Libeskind, the son of Holocaust survivors from Poland, released a statement on Tuesday confirming that he had been hired.
“It is with a great sense of urgency and meaning that I join the Tree of Life to create a new center in Pittsburgh. Our team is committed to creating a powerful and memorable space that addresses the worst antisemitic attack in United States history,” he stated.
The synagogue’s renovation will include restoring its main sanctuary space, which was not being used on the day of the attack, and demolishing its smaller chapel and other rooms where the attack took place. Its stained glass windows depicting biblical themes will be part of the new building, reported the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.