Saying ‘No’ to hate
Temple Beth Sholom hosts candlelight vigil in wake of shooting
MARQUETTE — Eleven candles were lit beside the names of each victim of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
Community members of all religious denominations gathered on the lawn of the Temple Beth Sholom in Marquette for a candlelight vigil in honor of the lives lost after Robert Bowers allegedly stormed the Tree of Life Synagogue and opened fire on the congregation Saturday morning.
The vigil began with a reading from the Torah by Aaron Scholnik, member of the board of directors of the Temple Beth Sholom. He followed the readings with a message of peace and unity, stating that “love can never be extinguished.”
He emphasized the strength of the Jewish community and their perseverance through even the most trying of times.
Though the Jewish community is relatively small locally in comparison to other religious followings, the Jewish people remain a strong and tight community no matter the distance between each congregation, Scholnik said.
“One of the aspects of Judaism is we are a family, so losing 11 congregates in Pittsburgh was taken personally,” Scholnik said. “We feel that loss as if they were members of our congregation here in Marquette.”
Vigil attendees and members of the clergy from neighboring churches offered their own prayers amongst the crowd, reaffirming the strength referenced by Scholnik and parting with words of hope that evil will not have the last word.
“I think it’s a reaffirmation of not only faith in God, but a faith in this country,” Scholnik said of the number of individuals who gathered in support of the victims.
He hopes that crimes such as these will not deter synagogues from keeping their doors open during prayer.
“We will have lost something of our own essence if we have to have someone with a gun sitting there,” Scholnik said. “America is the country of freedom. To lock the doors behind us while we’re having a prayer service is the exact opposite of that culture of freedom we have in this country and that we have in Marquette.”
While Scholnik doesn’t believe anti-Semitic crimes such as these can be stopped altogether, a change in the rhetoric of our country is a start to making such crimes perceived even more so as unacceptable.
“There’s so much fear and hate against people that don’t think the way you do … That it’s an atmosphere that can be interpreted by some people as permissive of doing this,” Scholnik said. “I think what you saw tonight does not speak for us. People who pull those thoughts do not speak for us here at the Temple Beth Sholom.”
To move forward, Scholnik urged the Jewish community to not let fear win, but to continue to live and worship just as they did.
“I think all we can do is try to be true to our neighbors, be true to our friends and be true to the spirit of this wonderful town and this great country.”