A few days after the horrific July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park, my colleagues and I gathered to try to bring some comfort and healing to the community. The Central Avenue Synagogue — Highland Park’s branch of Lubavitch Chabad — is blocks away from the site of the shooting, and the synagogue sheltered dozens of terrified, confused people who had run for their lives.
And that is where I spoke to community members, who recounted their horrific tales as we gathered to console one another. Upon receiving a gift of Shabbat candles — to bring a little more light into a darkened world — one woman simply broke down and sobbed.
