Hundreds in Orlando gather for Pittsburgh victims
Hundreds of people from different faiths and ethnic backgrounds gathered Tuesday night at the Congregation of Reform Judaism in Orlando to remember the 11 people slain and nine injured during Saturday’s massacre at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.
“We are in a time of great consternation with voices of violence and anger, and we must rise higher with the voice of love,” said the Rev. Bryan Fulwider, an ordained minister who has served in the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ, during the “Stop the Hate” vigil.
Some in the crowd wiped away tears as the names of the Pittsburgh victims were read.
Some put their arms on the shoulders of those next to them. But the event was more than just a somber memorial service.
It also was a “call to action against hate speech” and a way to
begin a discussion on tempering the use of angry words and vitriolic language that has become common — both in public and on social media — that attacks people of different beliefs, officials said.
“We believe words do matter, and our leaders have a responsibility for what they say,” said Rabbi Steven Engel of Congregation of Reform Judaism. “It’s across the spectrum. It’s all political parties. It’s in the way we speak to other people. There’s a lack of civility today. ….It’s what people are saying in public — not just on social media. It’s what politicians say. It’s what our leaders say. There seems to be no accountability.”
Bishop Greg Brewer of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida agreed, pointing out that Christians should follow Jesus’ example.
“People of faith, especially those of the Christian faith, should honor our founder, Jesus of Nazareth,” Brewer said. “He never maligned people of other faiths. He always spoke of mercy.”
The Rev. Joel Hunter, the retired senior pastor of Northland, A Church Distributed and the managing chairman of the Community Resource Network, said that places of worship are where people can meet as members of a community to begin the discussion of toning down vitriolic speech.
“We’ve all been taught that we — all people — are made in the image of God, and to dishonor them is to dishonor God,” Hunter said. “We hope that good can come out of evil.”
The mass shooting in Pittsburgh occurred at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh at the start of Shabbat morning services.
Police arrested 46-year-old Robert Gregory Bowers, who told authorities when he surrendered that he “wanted all Jews to die.” In the hours before the shooting, Bowers posted several hate-filled statements against Jewish people on the social media site Gab.
Bowers faces 29 criminal charges.
Many in the Jewish community see anti-Semitism on the rise across the country. The Anti-Defamation League, for example, recently cited a 57 percent increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the country last year, compared with the previous year.
“There’s no doubt that there is anti-Semitism,” said Ben Friedman, director of community relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando. “But the acceptance of anti-Semitism is on the rise, and it’s getting worse. And we don’t know how pervasive it is now.”
Three years ago, Engel’s Congregation of Reform Judaism synagogue began hiring armed guards to protect the sanctuary because of threats members received. There were several armed guards at Tuesday’s gathering.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to do that,” Engel said. “That money could be spent teaching children; for our programs that benefit the community. But we’re forced to do that — spend money on armed guards.”
Tuesday’s vigil was organized in part by the Greater Orlando Board of Rabbis, the Congregation of Reform Judaism and several other Jewish groups.