(JTA) — The mother of a 14-year-old Jewish girl killed in the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last year has penned a heartbreaking letter to her daughter.
Lori Alhadeff posted the letter to her daughter Alyssa on a website created to honor her memory.
Alyssa was among the 17 people killed on Feb. 14, 2018 at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by a teenage gunman who once attended the school.
Her mother’s letter included references to the family’s Jewish background.
“17 beautiful people we, as a community, needed to bury,” Alhadeff wrote. “You were the first. The next day, Rabbi Gutnick presided and hundreds of people came from all over the country. If you remember from Bat Mitzvah classes, shivas last seven days when a loved one dies. In those seven days, I got so many hugs from people who loved you.”
Watch a video that is part of the message below:
