HARRISBURG, Pa. — There was a showing of solidarity in Harrisburg on Wednesday evening as the Israel-Hamas war raged on.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg held a gathering and vigil at Beth El Temple to give a chance for members of the community to come together amid tragedy.
"We have a tradition in the Jewish community of mourning together, you can’t stay alone, you have to come out and be with family and friends," said David Cohen, CEO and president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. "It’s the only thing that supports you."
It’s a community that is still in shock over what is unfolding overseas.
"We have friends and relatives all over Israel," said Cohen. "To have something like this come at them no one in Israel knows how to make sense of this and we don’t either."
The organization says it's events like these and the outpouring of support from across central Pennsylvania that help them pave a path forward through these challenging times.
"It’s incredibly important to hear words of support, whether it is from the political world, the interfaith world, just from neighbors," said Cohen. "I think that’s where partnership is built and that’s where the future of more positive things are built, which we hope to really embark upon after an event like this."
A challenging time they say the entire Jewish community will get through together.
"We mourn and at the same time we say, 'We are here and we are not going anywhere,'" said Cohen. "We will persevere."