Monday marked the deadliest day in Chicago in 13 years with a reported 19 people shot and nine killed.

Many of the shootings took place on the West Side near North Lawndale, a community that JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council works closely with that once had a large Jewish population.

“It is overwhelming to think about the devastating toll this violence is having on the residents of the community and on our partners, including Mt. Sinai Hospital, who are on the front lines working every day to address this crisis,” said JCRC Chair David T. Brown. “As citizens and civic leaders of this city, we cannot turn our backs from what is happening. We must be engaged on this issue.”

JCRC has a longstanding gun safety policy and has been working closely with a variety of community partners, including Fierce Women of Faith, to help raise awareness and identify solutions.

As part of this effort, JCRC and Fierce Women of Faith are bringing women from throughout Chicago together in dialogue and are planning a day of action early this fall.