WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — More than 100 Washington Heights residents gathered together in Bennett Park Sunday night to remember victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut.
The candlelight vigil started at 6 p.m. with a few words from state Sen. Adriano Espaillat, Councilman Mark Levine, Borough President Gale Brewer and several other local leaders.
“We come together to reject violence against humanity,” Espaillat said, referring to Friday's coordinated attacks in Paris, which reportedly left 129 people dead, as well suicide bombings in Beirut that killed at least 43 people, reports said.
Rabbi Ezra Schwartz of the Mt. Sinai Jewish Center in Washington Heights recited Psalm 23 in Hebrew and English along with the crowd, before holding a moment of silence.
The event marked the second such vigil organized by Northern Manhattan leaders, with first occurring in January after the Charlie Hebdo shootings.
“We’re all there for unity,” said Kevin Klepper, 53, a Washington Heights resident who has managed a collection of free outdoor community bookshelves. “It was all beautiful.”
Others also came with the same sense of solidarity, wanting to publicly show support for victims of terrorism from around the world. They shared personal stories about Paris, stressing the importance of holding the vigil as a community.
“I came here in support for peace," said Washington Heights resident Mark Posey, "and loving people.”