Montrealers of all faiths joined others across the country and gathered in remembrance of the eight men and three women killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
Dozens braved the cold and rain to assemble outside of the Montreal Holocaust Museum Sunday.
"The zealots, the fanatics, the killers harbour the illusion they represent a greater population than themselves," Rabbi Reuben Poupko told CTV Montreal. "The purpose of having vigils like this, the purpose of having religious leaders and politicians speak out is to show they represent no one but themselves."
The attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue has stirred up painful memories of Quebec's history of racially-motivated violence, most recently the 2017 shooting in Quebec City that left six men dead.
"It revived the sorrow and misery of the Quebec shooting in the mosque," Samer Majzoub of the Canadian Muslim Forum said while attending the gathering. "People who were shot because of their faith."
While they may be separated by more than 960 kilometers, the city of Cote-St-Luc feels a strong connection with Squirrel Hill, the neighbourhood where the massacre took place.
Both are known for their large Jewish community.
"Squirrel Hill is very similar to Cote-St-Luc, so it really resonates with the residents," Cote-St-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein said.
While not direct or indirect threats have been made, Montreal police have increased patrols around Montreal's synagogues since the attack.
"They reached out to us first, to assure us of increased patrols of our institutions, our schools and our synagogues," Rabbi Poupko said.