Dear Temple Sholom Community,
Like you, we have spent the hours since the shooting at the 4th of July Parade in Highland Park checking on friends and loved ones while diligently praying. Amy Asin, URJ Vice President, sent an email reporting that one congregant from North Shore Congregation Israel was killed and three people from Am Shalom were injured. We will continue to connect with our fellow communities offering love and support even as we turn in towards each other for kindness and comfort.
While each of us is praying in our own way, we offer this piece of liturgy written by Alden Solovy:
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of terror,
People whose lives were cut off by witless aggression.
Today we add Highland Park
To the list of places where innocents have been murdered and wounded.
Remember with love
The survivors of these horrors.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.
Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the victims of terror
Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.
Below our signatures, you will find resources for coping in the wake of violence.
May the killer be apprehended soon. And may these communities (and our own) grieve, pray, and find some sense of healing and peace.
L'sholom,
Rabbi Shoshanah Conover
Cantor Sheera Ben-David
Rabbi Scott Gellman
Rabbi Rena Singer
Sherry Weil, Temple President
Jeremy Perlin, Executive Director
Mourner’s Kaddish: This ancient prayer has been on the lips of Jewish mourners around the world for centuries.
Mi Shebeirach: A prayer for healing sung live by Debbie Friedman
"After Terror: 5 Jewish Ways to Help Kids Deal": Jewish tradition provides wisdom on how to handle these moments – both as parents and as individuals.
"How We Can Help Our Littlest Learners in the Wake of Tragedy": Tammy Kaiser, a Parkland-area neuroscientist, preschool director, mother, and shooting survivor, shares tips for restoring children’s sense of safety - and talks about her own experience comforting her son after the shooting.
Temple Sholom