Wender·Vista
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill, on Wilkins Avenue

Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation

— — a sanctuary the neighborhood is rebuilding together.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The synagogue at the corner of Wilkins and Shady in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill, home to the Tree of Life / Or L'Simcha Congregation for more than seventy years. After October 27, 2018, the building was held by the city. Daniel Libeskind is leading the rebuild as a sanctuary, memorial, and centre against antisemitism. The neighborhood has kept watch the whole way through.

from the studio
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation
— bring it home

Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Tree of Life / Or L'Simcha Congregation stands at the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Conservative congregation traces its roots to 1864, making it one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the city. The current building was dedicated in 1953 and shared with two other congregations, New Light and Dor Hadash, at the time of the October 27, 2018 attack in which eleven worshippers were killed, the deadliest antisemitic attack in United States history.

— the year

The rebuild has been ongoing since 2019. Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind, who designed the Jewish Museum Berlin and the master plan for the World Trade Center site, was selected in 2020 to lead the redesign. The new building is planned around three programs: a working sanctuary, a memorial to the eleven, and an education centre against antisemitism. Interior demolition began in 2023, with the project budget reported at roughly 75 million dollars. Construction is on a multi-year schedule.

— informed by Studio Libeskind
— the visit

The site sits on a residential corner in Squirrel Hill, a Jewish neighborhood with deep roots and easy walking distance to Murray Avenue's bakeries and bookshops. The rebuild is not yet open to the public; once the new building is complete, the congregation has said the memorial and education spaces will be free to visit, with regular tour hours. Until then, the corner remains a place neighbors and visitors come to stand quietly.

— informed by Visit Pittsburgh
— where
United States · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
— position
40.4389° N · 79.9234° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
1 km W
Murray Avenue
commercial street
1 km E
Frick Park
city park
2 km NW
Carnegie Mellon University
university campus
N
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation
Murray Avenue
Frick Park
Carnegie Mellon University
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

At 5898 Wilkins Avenue, on the corner with Shady Avenue, in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The building has been a centre of Jewish life in the neighborhood since its dedication in 1953.

Tree of Life traces its roots to 1864, making it one of the oldest Jewish congregations in Pittsburgh. It merged with the Or L'Simcha congregation in 2010 to form the current Tree of Life / Or L'Simcha.

A gunman entered the building during Shabbat morning services and killed eleven worshippers from three congregations: Tree of Life, New Light, and Dor Hadash. It is the deadliest antisemitic attack in United States history.

Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind, who designed the Jewish Museum Berlin and the master plan for the World Trade Center site, was chosen in 2020 to lead the redesign. The new building combines sanctuary, memorial, and education centre.

The congregation has not set a public opening date. Interior demolition began in 2023, and the project budget has been reported at roughly 75 million dollars. The full rebuild is on a multi-year schedule.

The congregation accepts donations directly through treeoflifepgh.org. The new building will house an education centre against antisemitism, with that work folded into the broader campaign.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried gently for customers with Pittsburgh roots, members of the congregation, and friends across the wider Jewish community. A Small or Keepsake with a handwritten note from the studio travels well.

The warm sanctuary tones and stained-glass colour read into Traditional, Jewel-tone, and Mid-century-modern interiors. The piece sits well above a console, mantel, or family bookshelf.

A single Medium or Large reads well above a console or mantel. The Keepsake works as a bedside or desk piece. We do not offer this image as a Mural, out of respect for the site.

We recommend keeping this image in a living, dining, or study space rather than a wet room. The subject is a working sanctuary and memorial; the Glossy finish is the right choice.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water, no household sprays. The colour lives inside the ceramic surface, so it will not lift or fade with regular wiping.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is drawn from Reid Wender's own curation and finished in the Knoxville studio. We do not license the work to other shops.

— if this one stayed with you

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