The Jewish Community of Victoria will be holding a memorial to commemorate the lives of the 11 people massacred at a synagogue in Pittsburgh this week.
According to a press release, the Board of the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island is sending condolences and messages of support to the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh for the community there.
In Victoria, the memorial service for the victims will be held tonight, October 30th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Centre on Shelbourne St.
“Due to space limitations of the venue being used for this event, and this event’s sensitive nature, we request that attendance be limited to the Jewish Community only,” reads the statement from the Federation.
What happened in Pittsburgh
On Saturday, October 27th, a gunman opened fire inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people.
American media outlets describe the incident as the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.
The gunman fired at his victims for several minutes, then exchanged fire with police and barricaded himself in a room before finally surrendering.
He has been identified as Robert D. Bowers and faces 29 criminal charges. Bowers allegedly shared several anti-Semitic posts on an alt-right social media platform called ‘Gab’, before he commenced his attack.
Here in Canada, Jewish communities have reached out to authorities to make sure security measures at religious institutions are up to par.
According to the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island, no tangible threat has been detected in the aftermath of the Pittsburgh tragedy.
