Boise mourns the victims of Pittsburgh: ‘It’s important to come together.’

The vigil was already supposed to have started. But at 6:35 p.m. Monday, people were still streaming into the already-packed Chabad Jewish Center to honor the memory of those shot Saturday at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

More than 250 people filled the synagogue, dozens of them spilling into the entryway of the building as seats filled, people stood along walls and knelt in aisles.

“People here have really been struggling to make sense of this — which we can’t — and to deal with grief,” said Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz, who helped organize the vigil.

He hoped the Monday gathering would be a chance for people to mourn and seek support, he said.

“One of the remarkable things that has happened in the last 48 hours is people of all persuasions have reached out to us,” Lifshitz said.

The vigil included a candle lighting and several prayers in Hebrew and English — for both the six people wounded and 11 killed.

It drew Idahoans from all backgrounds, including Congressman Raul Labrador. “I’m just here to be with the community,” Labrador said.

Attendees Julie and Willy Smith said they wanted to join in sympathy with the Jewish community. They likened it to vigils they attended in the wake of a June stabbing that rocked the Treasure Valley.

“It’s a way to demonstrate that we’re all the same,” Willy Smith said.

Boisean Juliette Hughes said she wasn’t surprised to see a slew of cars at the center’s parking lot when she arrived.

“This is a supportive community,” Hughes said. “We need to continue to be inclusive of people who may not be like us.”

“It’s important to come together right now,” added Hughes’ friend Ralene Wiberg as the pair met outside the center.

“Our country is so divided right now. This is how I show my love for my community,” Wiberg said.

It was the second public event in support of Boise’s Jewish community. On Saturday evening, Congregation Ahaveth Beth Israel held a public vigil, Rabbi Dan Fink told the Statesman in a phone interview Monday. Fink said that in the wake of the shooting, he too has experienced “an outpouring of support, an overwhelming show of goodwill” from around the Treasure Valley.

What’s important, Fink said, is what happens next. In a Facebook post on Monday, he urged Idahoans to vote on Nov. 6 and to look for opportunities to embrace marginalized communities.

“I think this goes way beyond the Jewish community. This time it was us. Who knows who it will be next time? And there will be a next time,” Fink said.

For Lifshitz, the next steps aren’t so clear.

“The wounds are too fresh to really capture a path forward,” he said. “But I do see this as an opportunity for us to do random acts of kindness, to just bring out the good that’s within our community.”