BANGOR (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Its been a day since eleven people were gunned down in their place of worship, a place where they should feel as safe as they do in their own homes.
Saturday's mass casualty shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has Mainers rattled, even as they go about their daily lives.
The ladies of the sisterhood at Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor are making latkes, potato pancakes, to freeze for an event next month.
They're going through the motions but it's not their usual routine.
"Last night when I came in here to prepare [the food] for this crafts show, for the first time since I grew up here, I was afraid," said Bangor native Susan Garson. "I was afraid someone would see the lights on, maybe someone would come. It's the first time that ever happened to me. It was scary."
Garson is a lifelong Bangor resident and member of the sisterhood.
She and the other ladies of the sisterhood call it the "right arm" of the synagogue.
They usually have more fun in the kitchen together but right now everyone feels uneasy.
"They're very sad," said Garson, speaking on behalf of the sisterhood. "They're frightened. They can't really believe. It's really hard to believe that today that this would happen but it shouldn't be because its happened everywhere."
Eleven people were killed in Saturday's mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
It's the deadliest attack against Jewish people in U.S. history.
"Devastating," said Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Bill Siemers. "It's very sad and it's very angering and it's very scary. Violence against Jews is not a new thing and we've had attacks like that against Jews in synagogues in Israel and in Europe. This is the first instance, the first terrible instance of this in America."
"Any worship space is the last area you'd expect to see a person with a gun, a person looking to kill, a person looking to hate, and it's terrible everywhere, but in a sanctuary where people come together to praise the God of life, it's especially devastating," said Rabbi Siemers.
The Portland Police Department put out a message on Twitter hoping to reassure residents in their city, while Bangor Police immediately hit the street, making house calls.
At around "11:30, the Bangor Police came by to check that this synagogue and the synagogue across the street were OK," said Rabbi Siemers, of hearing the news about what happened in Pittsburgh Saturday.
"The fact that you have to have some police patrolling around in Bangor, Maine? It's kind of scary," added Garson.
She's concerned about other people getting the same idea in the future.
"We're all very frightened that this happened and we never were afraid to be in our synagogue until now because we don't know about any copycats," said Garson. "Someone [getting] the idea from what happened like the school shootings and things like that."
The congregation has plans to host an event remembering the Pittsburgh victims Tuesday evening, October 30th.
Meanwhile, in a tweet Sunday morning, Gov. Paul LePage says he has directed all U.S. and Maine flags to half-staff through sunset on Wednesday evening, October 31st, in memory of the victims of the fatal Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
"I don't know why we think we're insulated but we're not," said Garson. "I think every place thinks they're insulated until [something] happens."
"At a time like this, your friends are so important," added Rabbi Siemers. "The Jewish community of Bangor is surrounded by people who love and cherish us and that support this morning means more than I can put into words."