Members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community gathered for their annual menorah parade and lighting to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah hours after a deadly shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia. They told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Felicity Taylor that it was important to be a light and show they cannot be deterred by hate. The rabbi at Chabad of Greenfield said organizers were initially worried about turnout because of the below-freezing temperatures and concerns about large gatherings after the mass shooting. But dozens showed out by singing, dancing and spreading their message. “Every time we’re hurt, we’ve got to add light. It’s not a reason, God forbid, to give up,” Rabbi Moishe Vogel said. “We don’t let terrorists weaken our resolve. We’ve got to be stronger, do more.”Vogel said his cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was killed in the shooting. Vogel said Schlanger lived in Pittsburgh for a time in the 1990s and attended Yeshiva Schools while in the area. “He did tremendous work in the community, was dedicated, and it’s a very painful loss to be woken up today in the family chat with the amount of horror of what’s going on,” Vogel said. “His wife, may she be well, fighting for her life in the hospital. It’s a very traumatic experience.” The celebration included heightened security measures and attendees said they planned to participate regardless. “It didn’t cross my mind that I’m worried to come to the parade,” Jamie Rosenthal said. “At the same time, it feels really important to continue and to share the joy.”Sen. John Fetterman attended the celebration for the third consecutive year. The Jewish Federation told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that the attack in Australia may be the worst antisemitic terror attack since the Tree of Life synagogue massacre in 2018.“It’s a sad testament on the scourge of global antisemitism,” Fetterman said. “So that really, I can’t imagine what folks here in the Jewish community here in Pittsburgh and across the nation must feel.”

PITTSBURGH —

Members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community gathered for their annual menorah parade and lighting to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah hours after a deadly shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.

They told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Felicity Taylor that it was important to be a light and show they cannot be deterred by hate.

The rabbi at Chabad of Greenfield said organizers were initially worried about turnout because of the below-freezing temperatures and concerns about large gatherings after the mass shooting. But dozens showed out by singing, dancing and spreading their message.

“Every time we’re hurt, we’ve got to add light. It’s not a reason, God forbid, to give up,” Rabbi Moishe Vogel said. “We don’t let terrorists weaken our resolve. We’ve got to be stronger, do more.”

Vogel said his cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was killed in the shooting. Vogel said Schlanger lived in Pittsburgh for a time in the 1990s and attended Yeshiva Schools while in the area.

“He did tremendous work in the community, was dedicated, and it’s a very painful loss to be woken up today in the family chat with the amount of horror of what’s going on,” Vogel said. “His wife, may she be well, fighting for her life in the hospital. It’s a very traumatic experience.”

The celebration included heightened security measures and attendees said they planned to participate regardless.

“It didn’t cross my mind that I’m worried to come to the parade,” Jamie Rosenthal said. “At the same time, it feels really important to continue and to share the joy.”

Sen. John Fetterman attended the celebration for the third consecutive year. The Jewish Federation told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that the attack in Australia may be the worst antisemitic terror attack since the Tree of Life synagogue massacre in 2018.

“It’s a sad testament on the scourge of global antisemitism,” Fetterman said. “So that really, I can’t imagine what folks here in the Jewish community here in Pittsburgh and across the nation must feel.”