Vigil held outside Pittsburgh shul for San Diego shooting victims
People gathered to express sorrow after one was killed in Poway, California on the eve of the eighth day of Passover
Dozens gathered to express sorrow for the shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California, at the site of the shooting exactly six months at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.
The vigil took place outside of the Tree of Life synagogue building where a gunman killed 11 worshippers on Oct. 27.
“My words of ‘never again’ have disappeared from my language,” Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers told the crowd, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. “They’ve been replaced with ‘yet again.’ And so it is that we stand here yet again at this corner as one united community.”
The rabbi, who was in the Tree of Life synagogue on the day of the October attack, led the crowd in reciting Kaddish, the Jewish mourner’s prayer.
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto joined the vigil.
We gather. Again. Always. Until we drive hate speech & acts of hate out of our city, our state, our nation, our world. pic.twitter.com/37LtUTc1vc
— bill peduto (@billpeduto) April 28, 2019
“It was only six months ago to the day that we became members of that tragic club of community-based shootings to which no one wants to belong,” read a statement from Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, The Associated Press reported.
“We know first-hand the fear, anguish and healing process such an atrocity causes, and our hearts are with the afflicted San Diego families and their congregation. We will not give in to H(asterisk). These senseless acts of violence and prejudice must end. Enough is enough!” the statement also said.
Pittsburgh’s Public Safety Department said in a statement that it was monitoring the situation in Poway and said it would increase security as necessary. It urged members of the public to remain vigilant and alert emergency officials if they saw anything suspicious.
“We understand this heartache all too well,” Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with those in the San Diego area, and our actions locally are and will continue to be focused on keeping everyone safe.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
