Vigil for Johanna Justin-Jinich

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Johanna Justin-Jinich ’10 was remembered in a memorial vigil this afternoon in the courtyard behind Usdan, where almost a thousand Wesleyan community members gathered to mourn her death – a somber event, but a cathartic one that provided at least some measure of closure for many who felt the trauma of the past two days.

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A little before 1, hundreds of people streamed towards the center of campus and stood in silence around the grass for several minutes. Rabbi David Leipziger Tevah took the microphone, urging everyone present to join hands for a moment in contemplation.

President Michael Roth spoke briefly, noting that Justin-Jinich’s most recent assignment for her COL Colloquium had been an essay about the significance of human dignity, before hugging several of her close friends and joining the crowd.

People dispersed slowly, and many stuck around for over an hour to talk in the courtyard. A group of students formed a circle on the lawn to chant and sing.

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