KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thousands of community members gathered inside an Overland Park synagogue Monday night for a vigil to remember the 11 victims shot and killed in a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Inside the sanctuary at Kehilath Israel Synagogue, it was standing-room only. Organizers told 41 Action News more than 3,000 people attended, including Dennis Miller.
The main message tonight: “may we draw strength from each other at this difficult time.” This is a community that unfortunately knows the pain of #TreeofLifeSynogogue @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/qFwNkYajtm
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) October 30, 2018
Miller was attending Saturday services for his nephew’s bar mitzvah when he heard about the shooting.
"It brought home to us very clearly that it could have been us, it could have been our family and friends,” he said.
Everyone is now singing Mi Shebeirach, a prayer for healing. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/ayIL23zOfZ
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) October 30, 2018
Saturday’s shooting comes four years after a deadly shooting at Overland Park’s Jewish Community Center, only a couple minutes from where Monday’s vigil took place. A white supremacist shot and killed three people, including Mindy Corporon’s son and father.
"Their lives are affected forever, for the rest of their lives just like my life is affected forever,” she told 41 Action News.
Monday’s vigil included remarks from religious leaders in the community, including churches and mosques. Their messages: unity.
Tonight’s vigil ends with a prayer for peace with community members holding hands @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/V3AyomxCjE
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) October 30, 2018
"Being able to do this as a community means a lot and sort of softens the pain for a lot of people,” said Gavriela Geller, Executive Director of the JCRB|AJC. “We needed to convene the community together and have a message of strength and unity and pride in our Jewishness and really bring people together across the faith spectrum to show that we will not back down.”
