Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin in support of #ShowUpForShabbat:

“The U.S. Conference of Mayors stands with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in encouraging members of Jewish communities, mayors and elected officials, civic leaders, and others to attend Sabbath services at local synagogues this Friday and Saturday, November 2-3.  By participating in #ShowUpForShabbat mayors and all people across the country will be able to mourn the 11 beautiful souls taken away from us at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh October 27 and show solidarity with the Jewish community.

“In the face of such senseless violence, we must never lose sight of the power of love, inclusion and diversity. Let this weekend mark our collective effort to start anew and work towards building communities where hate is not tolerated, where we are guided by our better angels and where we treat all of our neighbors with compassion and respect.”