CINCINNATI -- The Mayerson Jewish Community Center announced Sunday morning it planned to hold an evening vigil in honor of the 11 people killed in an attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Starting at 7:30 p.m., several local Jewish leaders will lead attendees in a prayer for strength and healing following the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the history of the United States.
READ: Hate crime charges filed in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that left 11 dead
One of those leaders, Rabbi Sigma F. Coran, said Sunday morning the devastating shooting was the latest in a string of incidents that highlighted the country's need to reject the normalization of hateful speech and images.
"We really have to double down on our efforts to reduce the amount of hate rhetoric in our country," she said. "It has really gotten to the point where people do not know the difference between good and bad. There is no good side on both sides of this. There is only one good side."
The suspect, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, reportedly wielded an AR-15-style assault rifle during the attack. That choice of weaponry is common among mass shooters -- something Coran noted.
"I can't help but think about the effect that semi-automatic rifles have on our country and the ability one person can have to kill so many people in one moment," she said.
