RCA Statement on Highland Park Shooting

July 5, 2022 – It is with a profound sense of sadness and weariness that the Rabbinical Council of America, the leading membership organization of orthodox rabbis in North America, mourns the victims of the most recent mass shooting during the July 4th parade in Highland Park, IL.

Rabbi Binyamin Blau, president of the RCA, said, “What was supposed to be a day of celebration turned into a day of mourning. We reissue our call for all Americans to engage seriously in a search for solutions to this epidemic of violence. Our present culture is clearly unhealthy, even if reasonable individuals can disagree on the root cause for this phenomenon, and we must take stronger measures to protect the safety of innocent citizens and to transform our society into a more civil and peaceful one.”

Rabbi Zvi Engel, first vice president of the RCA and a resident of the Chicago area added, “The death toll from gun violence in our great nation is staggering. We salute members of law enforcement and other first responders for their heroic efforts yesterday, and weep with the families of those murdered, maimed, and injured in the 309th mass shooting this year. As we fervently hope that the traumatized soul of the United States of America will soon find a way to heal, we look to our elected officials to do more to help us recover from this epidemic of violence.”