"Our hearts are broken. Our hearts are shattered. And all of the United Nations must speak out," Rabbi Avi Weiss, of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, told the crowd. "The murder of a person is the murder of a person. But the murder of a child is the murder of the world."
Many in the crowd said they had come because they felt powerless and wanted to express support publicly for the families.
Several held placards that read: #bringbackourboys - evoking the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian girls by Boko Haram militants that inspired a social media campaign using the hash tag #bringbackourgirls.
"It's hard being so far away and feeling there is so little I can do," said Ilana Shrier, 25, a commercial real estate agent and Hebrew teacher.