Hundreds of people from different religions came together Sunday in the San Fernando Valley to march for unity and understanding between those of different faiths.
The second annual Interfaith Solidarity March In Woodland Hills was set against the backdrop of the hate crime slaughter inside The Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, in which 11 people were killed and six others were wounded by alleged gunman Robert Bowers.
The march started at Temple Aliyah, then moved to a Presbyterian church and ended with a memorial at a nearby mosque. People at the event called on leaders to push for tolerance and an end to gun violence and hatred.
“We are trying to bridge gaps,” Reverend Felicia Parazaider, one of the event’s organizers, told ABC7 News. “We’re trying to break down the barriers, creating universal values, a positive peace which is a difference between negative peace, positive peace and inspired change.
The Jewish community in Los Angeles, as well as non-Jewish groups, gathered at the Federal Building in Westwood, for a vigil to honor the victims in Pittsburgh.
More than 25 temples, synagogues, Jewish organizations and others, including the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federation Of Greater Los Angeles, and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, joined together at 6 p.m. for the two-hour event.