Photos: Local Community Gathers to Remember Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Victims

Members of the Penn State and State College community held an emotional candlelight vigil Monday night at Old Main to honor the 11 lives lost in the shooting on Saturday at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. 

The vigil was organized by Chabad at Penn State and Penn State Hillel.

Speakers at the vigil included Penn State President Eric Barron, Jewish students with personal connections to the Tree of Life synagogue , and several Jewish leaders in the community, including Rabbi Hershy Gourarie, of Chabad, and Aaron Kaufman, executive director of Penn State Hillel.

Photos by Frank Scaramuzzo | Onward State

The mood was somber gathering around the steps of Old Main as the crowd heard from Penn State President Eric Barron and various Jewish community leaders.

The constant theme throughout the night was a sense of optimism and strength in the face of tragedy.

The crowd heard from Jewish Penn State students from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood who attended the Tree of Life Synagogue where the attack occurred.

Speakers emphasized that light must be cast on the darkness of this time.