Over 50 people from around southeastern Ontario gathered at the Islamic Centre of Kingston to mourn the loss of six people who fell victim to a mass shooting while attending the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City on January 29, 2017.
Mona Rahman, the educational coordinator for the Islamic Society of Kingston, emceed the evening and spoke about the tragic incident two years ago with several religious leaders of different faith groups, who were in attendance for the vigil.
“To have people from different faiths come together, it gives you a sense that you’re not alone,” said Rahman when she was asked about the number of people attending the vigil.
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One of those people in attendance was Debbie Fitzerman, the co-chairman of the Kingston Jewish Council. Fitzerman told Global News that the Quebec City mosque attack brought the two groups closer together.
In their free time, the two groups now volunteer together as one group to help disadvantaged women.
“We came together after the attack and we found that our common goal was to find a way to help women in our community,” Fitzerman said, “so the Jewish and Muslim women are now working with the women at Elizabeth Fry.”
The group has met regularly since the 2017 attack and are preparing for their first event on Sunday, Feb. 3, when they will hand out food and hygiene products to Kingstonians in need.