SCRANTON, Pa. -- People from all walks of life packed into the Jewish Community Center auditorium in Scranton.
They lit candles to remember the 11 people gunned down in a Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
“Unfortunately, it feels great to be here, but not for this reason, but it's amazing the outpouring that's here tonight,” Steven Derschowitz of Lake Ariel said.
More than 500 people came to the vigil at the JCC. They celebrated the lives of those 11 people like they were members of their own community.
“It's just amazing the outpouring of support from the community and us coming together to rise up against hate, against intolerance, and against anti-Semitism,” Executive Director of the Scranton JCC Dan Cardonick said.
There were so many people who showed up for the vigil that the JCC actually had to turn people away because they couldn't fit in the building safely.
“It's disappointing that we couldn't get in, but I'm so happy to see that a lot of people came to show their support,” Batsheva Gruber of Scranton said.
The street outside was blocked and police kept the area secure.
The JCC hopes this vigil shows that love is stronger than hate.
“We have the entire greater Scranton community together with us, to help start changing the world, to help work together to defeat hate. Defeat hate with love,” Cardonick said.
Members of the JCC said the event helped them heal during a difficult and scary time.