Hundreds attend memorial for victims of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

Hundreds attend memorial for victims of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
CHEK

Premier John Horgan speaks at the Victoria memorial for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Premier John Horgan speaks at the Victoria memorial for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Hundreds of people, including Premier John Horgan, took part in a memorial at the Jewish Community Centre in Saanich on Tuesday night.

It was a chance to pay tribute to the 11 people who were killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

Greater Victoria’s Jewish community gathered at the centre at 3636 Shelbourne St. at 7:30 p.m. They were joined by dignitaries and others from around Vancouver Island.

Prayers, songs and several speakers expressed solidarity and sorry during the hour-long ceremony.

“I was honoured to be here tonight with the Jewish community and people of multi-faiths, coming together in harmony to stand up to intolerance, to stand up to hate, to anti-Semitism,” Horgan said on Tuesday night.

Rabbi Harry Brechner, leader of the Congregation Emanu-El, said they are sending as much care and love as they can to the Jewish community to Pittsburgh.

“I think the message to me for all of the people coming to the synagogue with cards and flowers to say we’re sorry. It happened to the Jewish community but we’re all in this together,” Brechner said.

The man accused in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre has been indicted by a grand jury.

Forty-six-year-old truck driver Robert Bowers now faces another 15 charges, for a total of 44 counts related to the killings on Saturday.

Authorities say he raged against Jews during the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue.

With files from The Canadian Press 

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