Some 300 people gathered in vigil Tuesday evening at the New England Holocaust Memorial, which was vandalized Monday for the second time this summer.
The vigil was organized by IfNotNow Boston, a Jewish group that seeks to “gain freedom and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians,” according to its website.
Those in attendance held signs that read “Say No to White Supremacy,” and “Jews Against Islamophobia and Antisemitism.” Speakers spoke out against the violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. Saturday and expressed solidarity with marginalized communities.
“We will build our world and our communities with love,” said Nadav David, an Arab Jew.
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Speakers denounced white supremacy “in all its forms” and led the crowd through several songs in an expression of “love and solidarity.”
“When I first heard the news, I felt small,” one speaker, Miles Meth, said of the vandalism. “I almost didn’t come today. But I knew my grandmother [who emigrated from Nazi Germany] would want me to be here, to persevere. I felt so small, but now I feel big with you all here.”
“In hope, in prayer, we find ourselves here,” the crowd sang.
In a gesture of unity, speakers urged those in the crowd to speak to someone they did not know.
“When I was younger, it used to be Jews for Jews, black people for black people, and gay people for gay people,” said Kath Knobe. “But now, it’s so different. We’re all together.”
A Malden teenager is facing charges that he hurled a rock through a glass pane of the memorial. The 17-year-old was arraigned Tuesday on charges of disorderly conduct, malicious destruction of property over $250, and causing injury over $5,000 to a church, synagogue or memorial.
The teenager, whose name was withheld because he is a juvenile, was released on personal recognizance. Prosecutors did not provide details of his motivation for the alleged vandalism.
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Jake Johnson can be reached at jake.johnson@globe.com.