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A Saturday Vigil in response to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting

I spent 90 minutes Saturday night standing with 48 other people in the cold and in the drizzle at the Holocaust Memorial in Downtown Providence as part of a vigil for those murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. There were prayers, songs, and strong statements about being Jewish in a country that feels hostile to not only

Rhode Island News: A Saturday Vigil in response to the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting

October 28, 2018, 12:20 am

By Steve Ahlquist

I spent 90 minutes Saturday night standing with 48 other people in the cold and in the drizzle at the Holocaust Memorial in Downtown Providence as part of a vigil for those murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

There were prayers, songs, and strong statements about being Jewish in a country that feels hostile to not only Jews, but to all immigrants. We held candles, both fire and electric, and we sought solace in each other.

This vigil, in the rain and the cold, on an unsettled Saturday night, with friends and comrades by the banks of a river, with the sounds and sirens of the City behind me and soft voices seeking comfort in one another in the small, ever expanding circle that I was honored to be a part of, helped give me the strength to persevere through yet another tragedy.