Members of the crowd at the Weinstein JCC hold candles in honor of those who died at the Tree of Life Synagogue. (Photo by Taylor Mills)
In the wake of Saturday's violent attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, a large crowd of Richmonders gathered at the Weinstein JCC on Tuesday night in support of the shooting victims and their families.
A diverse group of people, including leaders of different faith communities, and public and political figures in Virginia, took part in the vigil, one of many such events held around the country.
“I was overwhelmed by the number of people that came. I was overwhelmed by the diversity of the people that came,” says Rick Nelson, the Weinstein JCC's chief executive officer. “But I wasn’t surprised. Richmond is a very caring place.”
The event began with Nelson welcoming and thanking people for attending. He also spoke about how the Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh was used as a base of operations and a crisis center after the shooting. The next person to speak was the president of the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, Ellen Renee Adams.
Tuesday's event at the Weinstein JCC included a reading of the victims' names. (Photo by Taylor Mills)
Adams began by reading the names of the people that were killed at the synagogue. She then spoke about the interconnectedness of the Jewish community. “Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazar — all Jews are responsible one for another. ” The pain felt in the Pittsburgh Jewish community after the attack is felt by every community, she told the crowd.
“The defining characteristic of Jews has always been our sense of peoplehood,” Adams says. “The idea that connects us all together. No matter where we live or how we practice, we are one people, we are one family.”
During the vigil, cantors Sara Beck Berman and Dara Rosenblatt sang "Eli, Eli” for the crowd. Several rabbis from around the state spoke about the events of the shooting, offered words of comfort and peace, read from the Hebrew Bible, or read prayers.
Several leaders of local Christian churches and organizations, as well as the imam for the Islamic Center of Virginia, Ammar Amonette, offered messages of condolence and support for the community.
Also in attendance were public and political figures such as Pamela Northam, the first lady of Virginia, and Mark Herring, Virginia's attorney general. Northam expressed sympathy for the friends and families of those killed during the Pittsburgh shooting from herself and Gov. Ralph Northam. She also took the opportunity to speak about tolerance.
“Here in Virginia, we welcome people of every faith, every nationality, every race, and every orientation,” Pamela Northam told those at the Weinstein JCC. “We must continue to uphold these essential American values today.”
The vigil concluded by the cantors singing “Oh Seh Shalom.” The crowd held glow sticks, candles or their cell phones as the cantors sang, many people singing along with them.
