Boston Common vigil ‘the most comforting’
Naomi Fireman has sat in the Tree of Life synagogue.
Her family and friends were attending services at another synagogue just down the road when the attack happened.
Yesterday, she was unable to be back home with friends and family, but mourned the loss of the 11 people who were killed Saturday morning at the vigil hosted on Boston Common. She talked to the Herald’s Brooks Sutherland about the emotional 48 hours.
“It’s unbelievable to see people come out to fight back and show a loving community. I would be here for any city, but it was shocking to hear it was my city. Every time someone said Pittsburgh, I’m just still in shock that it happened. The fact that I'm not there right now, is really hard. But it was really powerful to see. I didn't grow up there, but I spent a good portion of my life there.
My family is from Pittsburgh and I’ve sat in Tree of Life many times before. It's really hard to just picture myself in that synagogue. I have some friends who were in services at synagogues right down the street and I knew they were there and it could have been any synagogue, there’s like five synagogues within a 1-mile radius of Squirrel Hill. Just hearing that they were safe but on lock-down was terrifying.
They were on lock-down throughout the day, but they’re OK and supporting each other. I wanted to be out there so badly, but just being here was so comforting. It’s the most comforting thing I can have given these circumstances.
My dad is American and my mom is from France. And my cousins were texting me because they knew I lived in Pittsburgh for many years, and they just said ‘I can't believe this happens in the United States.’ And normally, I’m used to calling them and hearing about anti-Semitic acts that are happening in Paris and that are happening in Amsterdam. And it was just such a surreal thing to not be surprised that it’s happening here.”