Holiday display honors victims at synagogue
ZELIENOPLE — For decades, employees at Universal Manufacturing Corp. in the borough have erected a display on the front lawn of the West New Castle Street business.
In past years, the sign has been holiday themed. But this year, that display has taken on new meaning, serving as a remembrance and tribute to those killed during the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting Oct. 27 in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
According to Mike Bredl, sales and marketing manager for Universal Manufacturing, a group of employees meets each year to discuss and plan the display, which is built in-house. He said discussions this year quickly turned to the shooting at the synagogue that left 11 dead.
Bredl said the decision was made to erect a version of the “Stronger Than Hate” symbol that became prevalent in the wake of the shooting. The decision to honor those affected was easy.
“We felt that being out here in Zelienople we wanted to share our support for all Pittsburgh communities, but for Squirrel Hill having been through that suffering,” he said, adding that many of the businesses' employees have ties to or live in Pittsburgh.
Bredl said once the idea was formed, employees fabricated, constructed and lit the display. He said that since it was erected earlier this month, the response in the community and on social media has been overwhelmingly positive, although that sort of attention was not what the company was seeking in creating the display.
“We just want to show our support, and this is our way of doing that,” he said.
