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After Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, Greensboro Gathers Together To Heal

Rabbi Fred Guttman of Temple Emanuel looks into the crowd before the start of the Guilford County Rally Against Hate and Violence Tuesday night. The event was a response to the recent massacre at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. SEAN BUETER/WFDD

Leaders from across the religious spectrum spoke to a packed house Tuesday night at Temple Emanuel in Greensboro after this weekend's massacre at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue.

The evening started simply, with prayers and songs and a reading of the names of the people who died Saturday in Pittsburgh.

But the ceremony wasn't only meant to mourn the dead. According to Rabbi Fred Guttman, it was also designed to be a moment of healing.

Guttman says the politics of the day, and particularly the current campaign season, has divided Americans. And he wants to do something about that.

“Our feeling is that, as religious people, we can pull us together and emphasize our commonality as people of faith and people who believe in justice, compassion and peace,” he says.

Among the many local religious and political figures at Temple Emanuel was Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan. Vaughan says the evening's events showed that the city is standing with the rest of the nation in mourning the events in Pennsylvania.

“It's been a show of unity throughout the entire country,” she said. “We can't let hate speech rule the day. And while Pittsburgh may be far away geographically, it's not far away in our hearts, and it could really happen anywhere.”

The evening continued with speeches of solidarity from multiple faith traditions: Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu leaders all made remarks in support of the local Jewish community.

By the end of the night, their messages were clear: that peace, and unity, and a sense of determination would overcome what was, for many, a very dark weekend.

Sean Bueter joined WFDD in August 2015 as a reporter covering issues across the Piedmont Triad and beyond.Previously, Sean was a reporter, host and news director at WBOI in Fort Wayne, Ind., just a few hours from where he grew up. He also sorted Steve Inskeep's mail as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C.Sean has experience on a variety of beats, including race, wealth and poverty, economic development, and more. His work has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and APM's Marketplace.In his spare time, Sean plays tennis (reasonably well), golf (reasonably poorly), and scours local haunts for pinball machines to conquer.

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