Washington University students arrived at Hillel Friday night, less than a week after the fatal shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, just as they would any other Shabbat, excited to join their friends in prayer and a good meal. However, a few things were different.

An off-duty police officer remained present for the duration of the night. When students asked each other, “How are you?” it wasn’t just a friendly greeting but rather a genuine question that implied an unspoken truth of shared experience, as students gathered Friday not just to celebrate the end of another long week, but to heal from the events of it as a community.

Reform and conservative services were held at Hillel at 5:45 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. dinner.

“I went to reform services. They were led by Scott Massey, he’s a first-year, and it was really something a lot of us needed this week,” freshman Daryn Adler said. “It was a really hard week for us to get through, but the service itself sort of focused on healing the world more with love and, instead of being angry, just being loving, open, accepting and tolerant and just focusing on the positive aspects of this week, sort of seeing how our community’s come together, for Shabbat.”

Massey echoed Adler’s sentiments, expressing the importance of using music to heal as a community.

“When the world is tearing us apart, music is what can bring us together; and so, it was really quite powerful to be able to use music and prayer to be able to bring my people back together even if it was just a little bit,” Massey said.

After services, students enjoyed a “Comfy Cozy”-themed dinner, which included a “comfort food feast,” as the Facebook event described it, setting the perfect tone of support and community that students needed in the aftermath of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. The buffet-style meal featured favorites such as pasta, quiche, vegetable chili, hot chocolate and an ice cream sundae bar.

Though students remained with heavy hearts through the night, that did not stop Friday’s Shabbat dinner from being filled with its usual sounds of laughter and conversation.

Rabbi Jordan Gerson spoke to students at the dinner, first listing all the exits in the building in order to ensure students’ feelings of safety and security. He then spoke about the importance of coming together as a community and using “laughter through the tears” as a way to heal and continue to lift spirits.

“It gives me uplift during this time to spend Shabbat with you all,” Rabbi Gerson said to students.

The services and dinner were powerful reminders of the strong Jewish community at Wash. U. and the support that can be found within organizations such as Hillel and Chabad.

“I think it was much needed after this week,” Adler said. “It’s really inspiring to me to see we have so many good student leaders, so many good Hillel staff that are really focused on sort of, again, bringing the community back together and focusing on the positive.”