Wyoming Valley Interfaith Council will hold a candlelight vigil at 5 p.m. Wednesday on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre to remember the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Elected officials and members of the public are invited to attend, said Rabbi Roger Lerner of Temple B'nai B'rith in Kingston and president of the Wyoming Valley Interfaith Council. He asked that attendees bring candles.
"We want to show solidarity with the Newtown community suffering in this incredibly dark time. We want to be one of many to show we can still shine light into the darkness," Rabbi Lerner said. "We grieve with the community of Newtown and express our heartfelt sympathies."
Rabbi Lerner said when he found out about the shooting Friday, his first reaction was "absolute disbelief."
"When you have children who have not even had a chance to live, it's impossible to imagine that someone would do this and how the family and communities would cope," Rabbi Lerner said. "We might not be able to offer a reason why, but we can offer our condolences and our compassion."
The Rev. Ann Marie Acacio, a member of the Wyoming Valley Interfaith Council, said it is important for the community to come together at the vigil to show solidarity.
"In this day and age, no community is isolated unless we see ourselves as part of a 'we' rather than it happened to 'them,'" she said. "It happened to all of us."
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com