Members of Winnipeg’s Jewish community are holding a vigil Tuesday evening for the victims of a mass shooting in the US.
Eleven people were killed Saturday when worship services at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh were interrupted by a gunman.
The shooter, Robert Bowers, faces almost 30 charges in the Pittsburgh massacre. The shooting has caused an outpouring of anger and sadness in the United States and beyond.
The Winnipeg vigil, which is open to Winnipeggers of all backgrounds, takes place at 7 p.m. at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue on the corner of Wellington Crescent and Academy Road.
Shaarey Zedek Rabbi Matt Leibel told 680 CJOB Monday he was shocked and saddened to hear about the shooting.
“I’ve been going to synagogue on Saturday mornings for my job since I was 19 years old. I’ve always thought it was one of the safest places to be,” he said.
“To think that a place of prayer and worship would be turned into a place of death is shocking.
“Unfortunately, we’re living in a time where these sorts of things seem to happen all over the world in all kinds of different places – mosques before, churches before – so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that this keeps happening.”
Leibel said representatives of every synagogue in town, along with other leaders in the Jewish community, got together with police in the aftermath of the Pittsburgh event.
Although it was determined there’s no heightened threat in Winnipeg or elsewhere in Canada, he said the community needs to remain vigilant.
The Winnipeg vigil is one of several that have been organized across the country in response to the massacre, including similar events in Ottawa, Halifax, Montreal and Vancouver.
“This is a situation of darkness, no question,” said Leibel, “but the only way you really fight darkness is light, so we continue to try and be as positive as we possibly can.
“I will always feel like Winnipeg is a place where I can feel safe to speak my mind to share my views. I’m going to continue to do that, I know my colleagues are going to continue to do that, and my whole community is going to continue to do that. ”
WATCH: Winnipeg’s Jewish community rallies against recent threats
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