Emhoff Will Speak at Groundbreaking of the Memorial for the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Victims

(AP) — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish person to serve as the spouse of a nationally elected U.S. leader, will deliver remarks on Sunday at the groundbreaking of the memorial to victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

The White House announced that Emhoff, who has been among the most visible and outspoken Biden administration officials on combating antisemitism at home and abroad, would attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Tree of Life campus.

The synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood was home to the deadliest antisemitic attack in the United States, in which 11 worshipers were killed by a gunman driven by hatred of Jews. The space will include a new place of worship, a museum devoted to studying the hatred of Jews in the U.S. and a memorial to the victims.

The June 23 event will include community leaders, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who will serve as the ceremony’s host.