Who was Jacki Sundheim? Second Highland Park shooting victim ID'd as devoted synagogue worker
July 4 turned out to be a tragic day as people who headed out of their homes for celebration went back in trauma and despair. In a mass shooting carried out at Highland Park in Chicago during the 4th of July parade, six people were killed and 38 were injured. Within 10 minutes of the most anticipated celebrations, people heard consecutive gunshots and started to run in fear of their lives. Robert 'Bobby' Crimo III was soon identified as the person of interest and taken into custody after a short pursuit and is said to have surrendered peacefully.
Previously, Nicolas Toledo, a 78-year-old father of 8 was identified as one of the victims who was shot 3 times and died on the spot. The second victim to be identified was Jacki Sundheim, a devoted member of the North Shore Congregation Israel, who mourned her death Monday night. The congregation stated in a letter by Rabbi Wendi Geffen, "Jacki’s work, kindness, and warmth touched us all, from her early days teaching at the Gates of Learning Preschool to guiding innumerable among us through life’s moments of joy and sorrow as our Events and B’nei Mitzvah Coordinator– all of this with tireless dedication." She is survived by her husband Bruce and daughter Leah.
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The congregation is located in Glencoe, a village that neighbors Highland Park. Jacki is the second person to be identified from the list of 6 victims who succumbed to their deaths. The 22-year-old Bobby was arrested by the police whom they believe is the person behind this heinous crime.
Who was Jacki Sundheim?
Not much is known about Jacki at the moment. According to the website, she was the Reform synagogue’s events and b’nei mitzvah coordinator. Remembering the much-loved member of the NSCI, the Reform Judaism congregation went on to state, "There are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jacki’s death and sympathy for her family and loved ones. We know you join us in the deepest prayer that Jacki’s soul will be bound up in the shelter of God’s wings and their family will somehow find comfort and consolation amidst this boundless grief.”
Her age is not known yet and no comments have been made by her family members. One-third of Highland Park's 30,000 residents are Jewish and Israeli and Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it had received information about Jewish casualties. On the other hand, Toledo, who was a Mexican native, was shot three times and died on the scene. He was on a visit to see his family for the past two months and his granddaughter Xochil Toledo explained that Toledo was avoiding the parade as he used a walker.