GOSHEN – There is no room for anti-Semitism in Orange County or the country, Rabbi Meier Borenstein told some 200 people gathered in front of the county Government Center in Goshen late Monday afternoon.
People of all faiths gathered to pray for those murdered in the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday morning and denounce the violence.
Eleven people were gunned down during a service at the Jewish house of worship by a man who professed that “all Jews must die.”
Large turnout for the interfaith gathering
At the Goshen vigil, County Executive Steven Neuhaus quoted from the writings of Ann Frank, the 15-year-old girl, who along with her family hid from the Nazis in an attic until they were caught and sent to die in a concentration camp during World War II.
“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart,” Neuhaus said, quoting Frank. “Here is the second because we cannot allow this to continue to happen in our country; we cannot allow this to happen in our community. Here is what she said in addition to that: ‘How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before they start improving the world’, and that’s the message we need to go forward with tonight folks. We have hope, we come together. This community, this country is great, but we have to make some changes so this does not happen again.”
Pastor Virginia Esposito had a strong message for those who would seek to target one particular group.
“Make no mistake. When you strike one of us, you strike all of us,” Esposito said.
Rabbi Borenstein said the community “must take action today,” and that, he said, goes beyond commenting on social media.
