‘The Pitt’ Pays Tribute to the Tree of Life Shooting in an Incredibly Moving Way

Since the January 2025 premiere of “The Pitt,” starring Noah Wyle as Jewish Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch and set in a Pittsburgh E.R., it felt possible that the Tree of Life Shooting, the antisemitic massacre that took place in the city in 2018, would be featured on the show.

The award-winning HBO Max series, which gave us one of the most moving Jewish TV moments of 2025, didn’t disappoint. In episode 3 of season 2, co-written by Noah Wyle, Dr. Robby comes face-to-face with a survivor of the shooting that took the lives of 11 Jewish congregants.

It all happens when a woman comes in with burns after dropping a samovar on herself. Yana Kovalenko (Irina Dubova, “The Americans,” “A Perfect Couple”) clocks Dr. Robby’s last name as Jewish. The two are also the only ones in the room who are familiar with the Russian and Soviet household staple, one that Dr. Robby rightly describes as “a big metal urn for coffee or tea” and recalls never being allowed to touch while growing up.

He also shares with a prying Yana, who, of course, asks him if he’s single, that he goes to Pittsburgh’s Rodeph Shalom for High Holiday services. Rodeph Shalom is the name of a real Reform synagogue in the city. Yana tells him she belongs to Tree of Life, and Dr. Robby tells her he hears the synagogue is being rebuilt.

“Yes, something new, ‘Remember, Rebuild, Renew,’ that’s their slogan,” Yana replies (and that is truly the motto of the congregation, shared in its fundraising campaign).

It’s a sweet moment in which two Jewish characters connect over their heritage. In a scene later in the episode, however, it becomes so much more than that.

“You mentioned that you dropped a samovar when you heard firecrackers,” Dr. Robby says to her as he works on treating her wounds. The shift takes place on the Fourth of July, and a savvy doctor like Dr. Robby has probably seen many people who suffer from PTSD on that day because of the sound and vibration of fireworks. He gently tries to pry about the source of Yana’s trauma.

“I was on my way inside, October 27, 2018,” Yana then confesses. “There was nothing I could do, I went in, after the police arrived … I felt I had to.” She goes on to tell Dr. Robby that while she’s better now — “on New Year’s Eve, Fourth of July,” when kids have their fireworks and firecrackers ….” She breaks down crying.

“There is no clock on how long it takes,” Dr. Robby says about trauma. Knowing that he is still dealing with the psychological repercussions of his experiences during the pandemic makes that statement even more meaningful.

But his stern, Russian patient scoffs. “No clock, you must be kidding,” she replies.

There’s also a touching moment in which Yana talks to Perla, a hijab-wearing nurse, about how grateful she is to the Muslim community for how they came to help their community after the attack, raised money, paid for funerals, and marched with their Jewish neighbors.

It’s so meaningful for “The Pitt” to acknowledge a tragedy whose effects are still felt in the city. The Tree of Life shooting remains the deadliest antisemitic attack in the country’s history. It’s an affirming, grief-filled moment in a show starring a prominent, proud Jewish actor.

Some viewers believe that it isn’t the only tribute the show has made to the Tree of Life shooting. In fact, they think Dr. Robby’s name is inspired by one of the victims of the attack: Jerry Rabinowitz, a local doctor. Rabinowitz, the president of the Dor Hadash congregation, which met in the Tree of Life building. Rabinowitz, a family doctor, treated patients with HIV during the height of the AIDS crisis, when many other doctors refused to.

“He often held our hands (without rubber gloves) and always always hugged us as we left his office,” one former patient recalled.

It means so much that “The Pitt” is taking a moment to honor the victims and survivors of the Tree of Life attack.

May the memory of all those lost that day be for a blessing.

Article: https://www.kveller.com/the-pitt-pays-tribute-to-the-tree-of-life-shooting-in-an-incredibly-moving-way/