NEW YORK (Kyodo) More than 100 New Yorkers and others from the international community crammed into a church in front of the United Nations on Friday to show their support for Japanese victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami at a prayer service, which was followed by a candlelight vigil.
"I am here for Japan to know that we are completely united in compassion," the Rev. Zell Schwartzman, an interfaith minister, said after the one-hour service at the Church Center for the United Nations.
The center is a Christian organization that supports the work of the United Nations.
After incense was offered, five priests representing various Buddhist sects as well as the Shinto and Christian faiths recited prayers in both Japanese and English. Prominent members of the Japanese-American and Japanese communities spoke and Taka Kigawa, a pianist, played three musical selections.