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Friday, March 29, 2024

NYers Gather to Mourn Victims of Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

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Across New York, Jews and gentiles alike held impromptu vigils to honor the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting earlier in the day.

“Bundled up against the cold and drizzling rain,” the Gothamist noted, “hundreds of attendees in Union Square sang Jewish songs and said Kaddish, a Hebrew prayer commonly recited following the death of a loved one. Led by local rabbis, attendees also participated in the Havdalah ceremony, lighting braided candles and reciting additional prayers to commemorate the end of the Sabbath.”

Indeed, reactions and statements of unity from across America and as far away as Israel have been pouring in.

The NYPD is deploying officers from the Critical Response Command and Strategic Response Group to houses of worship, “out of an abundance of caution,” according to Chief of the Department Terrence Monahan. He stressed there was no immediate threat to New Yorkers.

Speakers from Union Square event organizer Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, IfNotNow, and other Jewish activist groups stressed the importance of solidarity, Gothamist noted, “while standing shoulder to shoulder with representatives from MPower Change and other Muslim organizations.”

“Their loss is our loss,” said Merill Zack, the director of community engagement at the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, whose work with refugees was mentioned multiple times in social media postings made by Bowers. “They could have been any of us, and they are all of us.”

The World Zionist Organization released a statement in which it said it “wishes to express its shock and grief on behalf of our sisters and brothers who lost their lives in the attack on the “Etz Chaim” Community in Pittsburgh, PA and to extend its heartfelt condolences to the families of the innocent victims, the Jewish Community of Pittsburgh, and the American Jewish community as a whole. The World Zionist Organization views with grave concern the escalation of antisemitic activity against Jewish individuals and communities throughout the Diaspora. This horrific massacre highlights the need to reinforce the activity to confront Antisemitism spearheaded by the World Zionist Organization at the same time as it underlines our sense of unity as a people standing together and our loyalty to that unity. May the memory of the innocent victims remain with us and guide us, may it strengthen our resolve to remain united as a people, and may the bond with the State of Israel remain at the heart of the Jewish people. Our strength lies in our unity, Our might resides in our belief in the Eternal One of Israel. May we find solace in the rebuilding of Zion and Jerusalem.”

Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, Jerusalem, Chairman Avner Shalev said this: “Yad Vashem strongly condemns the unprecedented antisemitic attack against the Jewish community of Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. In our post-Holocaust global society, there is no room for antisemitism, racism or xenophobia.

By: Heshy Zelmyer

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