A typical lay-led service draws 30 to 40 people from Highland Park and Metuchen. Locals were used to seeing a 1953 pickup truck drive through their suburb and others along Chicagos North Shore blaring a mashup of the song Yankee Doodle Boy with a niggun, or wordless melody, written by the noted Orthodox singer-songwriter Shlomo Carlebach. And we see them with panic on their faces, terror in their eyes, he said. Neo-Nazis protest 2 Georgia synagogues over the weekend, Supreme Court ruling in Sabbath accommodation case has far-reaching consequences for observant Jews, Italy to bar soccer players from wearing No. She hoped the Pride flag controversy would result in much more mutual respect for each other and create the opportunity for the LGBTQ and Orthodox communities to become pleasant neighbors and townspeople together., Eshel participated in a planned rally on Monday in support of the Pride flags return, which was organized by the LGBTQ music festival that took place earlier this month around the corner from the synagogue. (The non-Jewish Rachel Brosnahan, who is not Jewish but has said her upbringing around Jewish friends helped inform her performance as the very Jewish comedian Midge Maisel in the Emmy-winning Amazon TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, also hails from Highland Park.) Others spoke up in favor of the synagogues request. Most years, the band plays at two parades on July 4. This past April, around the Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day, antisemitic flyers were found scattered throughout Highland Park and other North Shore communities (they shared qualities with others distributed in several other cities over the past year by the antisemitic Goyim Defense League group). "We may never know what hate or evil sparked a mad manan . Conversations with Maxwell Street musicians in the weeks leading up to this years parade and with others deeply connected to Highland Parks Jewish community reveal how the pain of last July 4 continues to reverberate, and how recovery can take many different paths. The purpose of this music has always been to push back against the darkness, Lippitz said. Foster had ordered four Pride flags removed from a public street weeks prior at the request of two local rabbis. It is a vision for the Jewish present and future with the highest demand for humanity, justice, and compassion.". The shooting at Highland Park's July 4 parade killed seven people, six of whom were officially identified on Tuesday: Katherine Goldstein (aged 64), Irena McCarthy (35), Kevin McCarthy (37),. When intact, this eruv satisfies most Orthodox Jewish religious requirements allowing residents to carry objects during the Sabbath. This July 4, however, though the band and the city, now more than ever, share a profound connection, Maxwell Street will not play a parade in Highland Park. It has been the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1936. I dont know when its right to roll a parade over it again.. Everybody, said Stacey Skolnick, a Jewish day camp director who lives in Highland Park, has big feelings still about it.. Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz said that at the Seudah Shlishit, a third meal of the Sabbath that is usually held in synagogue between afternoon and evening services on Saturday, the congregation took some time to reflect. I cant imagine being in a crowd, said Ron Krit, the national director of the Life & Legacy program at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Omaha; Nevada. And for at least a decade, it has added Jewish flavor to the citys July 4 parade, one of the most beloved and well-attended on the North Shore. This is our joy, and this is our spirit, and this is our. Though the gunman, now awaiting trial, is not believed to have been driven by antisemitism, Jews in and around Highland Park, a heavily Jewish suburb north of Chicago, have spent the past year grieving and trying to make sense of the horrific turn that morning took. Matthew Hersh, the Borough Council president, defended the flags at the meeting. Free Sign Up, The report captures Highland Parks sky-high levels of Jewish pride and provides yet another example of how Mondays shooting that killed at least seven people at a July 4 parade there struck the heart of one of the countrys idyllic suburban Jewish capitals. El Al owner used fraudulent nursing home funds to buy airline, New York AG Letitia James claims. Lippitz said she understands why. They drove in a daze to their next parade before anyone could really grasp what had just taken place and then back home after they learned every other event in the area was ultimately canceled. On the other side of the coin, some of the most prominent anti-LGBTQ voices on the internet, including Chaya Raichik, creator of the social media account Libs of TikTok. The recent. For decades, the Orthodox world has struggled with whether and how to accept LGBTQ people. Tcath said that the worst for Highland Park involved antisemitic hockey fans from neighboring towns, who in the 1980s and 90s would throw bagels onto the ice when their children played against Highland Park, to try to intimidate and embarrass them. The Associated Press and JTA contributed to this report. But they are strong, leaning on their Jewish values in search of hope, and using their skills to solve the . The city of Highland Park condemned anti-Semitism and "all acts of hate," saying it "stands in solidarity with our Jewish community." According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Highland Park is . Its a place of movie magic and one of the 100 wealthiest cities in America, tweeted the noted film critic Richard Roeper. What if they hadnt been able to run? And then there are other people who are like OK, its time to move on, this happens a lot, we hear about it almost every day, its time to have a regular parade again and move forward., A much more dangerous world: A gathering of Highland Park Jews contemplates the July 4 massacre, The city of Highland Park which created a, and began thinking months ago about how to handle the first July 4 after the shooting has decided against a parade and fireworks. It really is a universal understanding of acceptance and then, intentionally, it is to support and protect our friends in the LGBTQ+ community.. U.S. Rep Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, and Waukegan . His parents had helped bring dozens of Holocaust survivors to the United States. Thats our neighborhood. "But beyond the Jewish part, it's a tight-knit community in general." . It was like a big sigh of relief at the beginning, that here we are finally doing something back to normal.. Its irresponsible and unacceptable and we must demand better.. They continued to play even as a handful of people began running toward them, against the flow of the parade. But she said at the Borough Council meeting that the affected flags had been flying directly in front of a congregation that was located near the music festival being staged the weekend of June 9. Some neighbors and residents described Highland Park as having a large Jewish community, representative of a significant Jewish population in the northern suburbs of Chicago at-large.. Tcath said that while his organization and so many others are still looking into the younger Crimos background, Highland Parks Jews are not reacting first with fears about a looming wave of specifically antisemitic violence. taken by a parade-goer of the band starting to play and then abruptly stopping as shots rang out, captured some of the chaos. "And Katie was just a delightful, funny, vibrant person who was really just one of the kindest people you could ever expect to meet in this world.". Participants listen during an event of unity and healing at the Central Avenue Synagogue-Chabad in Highland Park for the victims of Monday's Highland Park's Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Ill., July 7, 2022. Jewish synagogue employee among six victims of Highland Park 4th of July shooting, Six dead in shooting at July 4 parade in Chicago suburb, suspect captured, police say, U.S. envoy: If this happened in another country, wouldnt we call it antisemitism?, Haaretz Daily Newspaper Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Now the towns mayor, Democrat Elsie Foster, has reversed her decision again following public pushback. A local Orthodox parent of an LGBTQ child, who contacted Kabakov in distress, told JTA that as a result of the controversy, Highland Park residents had raised more than $1,200 for Jewish Queer Youth, another organization advocating for LGBTQ Jews in Orthodox spaces. In 2019, Highland Park High School yearbooks had to be edited to remove Nazi and white supremacist elements from multiple students comments. 7 killed at July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, heavily Jewish suburb of Chicago By Philissa Cramer July 4, 2022 2:17 pm Updated July 7, 2022 10:38 am Chairs and blankets are left. He has no desire to do it again, Legg said. Nearly all modern interpretations of Orthodox law forbid same-sex relations, though recently a number of Orthodox public figures have come out as queer. It was supposed to be the year of the parades triumphant return. While some in Highland Park portrayed the divide as one between the Orthodox Jewish and LGBTQ communities, others cautioned against viewing the two groups as completely separate. The town has avoided large-scale antisemitic incidents throughout the 20th century even as nearby Skokie became the site of a nationwide neo-Nazi march and the center of a landmark Supreme Court case in the late 1970s, and as West Rogers Park on Chicagos far northwest side saw a white supremacist shoot to kill multiple Orthodox Jews leaving services in 1999. Crimos father, Bob Crimo II, is a well-known local figure who owns multiple businesses, including a deli, and once unsuccessfully ran for mayor. (About 3% of the Jews in Highland Park and its surrounding towns are Israeli, the study also found. Nearly all modern interpretations of Orthodox law forbid same-sex relations, though recently a number of Orthodox public figures. Its being processed as, This is yet another example of what America is today. PJC, First responders and police force are seen at the scene of the shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Ill., July 4, 2022. According to a 2020 study of the metropolitan Chicago area by researchers at Brandeis University and the University of Chicago, Highland Park is 50% Jewish: about 15,000 of the suburbs 30,000 residents. The purpose of this music has always been to push back against the darkness, Lippitz said. Goldstein is one of the victims of the Highland Park shooting. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search. Highland Park's Jewish history. 2023 jewish telegraphic agency all rights reserved. ) Recent years have seen shooting attacks at a Kansas City Jewish Center, synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway and a New Jersey kosher supermarket; as well as a stabbing attack at a Hannukah party in Monsey, New York. The shooting at Highland Park's July 4 parade killed seven people, six of whom were officially identified on Tuesday: Katherine Goldstein (aged 64), Irena McCarthy (35), Kevin McCarthy (37),. But neither can fathom participating in the community walk. Prager assumed a celebrity sighting had caused a stir. My youngest daughter is a camp counselor. Mourners gather for a candlelight vigil at a makeshift memorial to the victims of the Fourth of July shooting rampage in Highland Park, Ill., July 5, 2022. ", "All of them are the most incredible, gentle, kind, caring people that you could ever want to meet," said Serotta, who leads the Makom Solel Lakeside congregation in Highland Park, told ABC News. Everyone is looking how lucky they were to have their family safe So everyone is trying to pull together, we hope; we all know each other here. Few members of the community were left unaffected by the shooting. In early June, the town of Highland Park, New Jersey, had one of its central thoroughfares decked out in rainbow Pride flags to celebrate an upcoming LGBTQ-themed music festival. Sign up for JTAs Daily Briefing for the latest headlines. Its being processed as, This is yet another example of what America is today., First responders and police force are seen at the scene of the shooting at a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Ill., July 4, 2022. The HDC Board of Directors is composed of community volunteers elected to serve two-year terms. Among the dead were Jacquelyn Sundheim of Highland Park, the bnai mitzvah coordinator at North Shore Congregation Israel, a Reform synagogue in nearby Glencoe; and Irina and Kevin McCarthy, the parents of a 2-year-old who survived the massacre. Hes not there yet, but one day, I will definitely go to a parade again, he said. Her anxiety comes in waves, and she was surprised to find it triggered by the warming weather and, . He entered wearing a yarmulke yet seemed out of place. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Please note - *JOFY . According to a 2020 study of the metropolitan Chicago area by researchers at Brandeis University and the University of Chicago, Highland Park is 50% Jewish: about 15,000 of the suburb's. Locals were used to seeing a 1953 pickup truck drive through their suburb and others along Chicagos North Shore blaring a mashup of the song Yankee Doodle Boy with a, , written by the noted Orthodox singer-songwriter, The report captures Highland Parks sky-high levels of Jewish pride and provides yet another example of how Mondays, shooting that killed at least seven people at a July 4 parade, there struck the heart of one of the countrys idyllic suburban Jewish capitals. One year after a gunman opened fire, killing seven people during Highland Park's July 4th parade, those who experienced it firsthand--and others who were not at the scene, but still deeply affected by it--think about the tragedy daily. She was 64. One person who spoke linked the synagogues request to anti-LGBTQ behavior by the Christian right. Several public commenters including a handful who identified as LGBTQ Orthodox Jews had come to the meeting to express outrage and speak out against the flags removal. Crimos father, Bob Crimo II, is a well-known local figure who owns multiple businesses, including a deli, and once unsuccessfully ran for mayor. There are always different events in the community that are appropriate . It's a very warm community," Sommer said. Several Highland Park mayors, including the incumbent Nancy Rotering, have been Jewish. Highland Parks Jewish population is comparable to Squirrel Hill, the Pittsburgh neighborhood where a white supremacist opened fire on the Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, killing 11 Jewish worshippers. (One of the two victims identified so far, Jacki Sundheim, was the bnei mitzvah and event coordinator for the North Shore Congregation Israel in the neighboring suburb of Glencoe. Looking ahead, some of leaders emphasized discussions around enhancing synagogue security in light of the shooting, staying connected and finding strength with the broader community. While the Squirrel Hill shooters motive was clear, local police are still investigating the alleged Highland Park attacker, Robert Bobby Crimo III. Expand. Highland Park is in Lake County and is one of the best places to live in Illinois. The city experienced two growth spurtsin the 1920s . The way he lived life, youd think he was still middle-aged, Maxwell Straus said in an interview. Chicagos North Shore has spent a year mourning the victims of last years Fourth of July parade in the heavily Jewish city of Highland Park. Its still a constant topic of conversation in our house and the television hasnt been off the last few days. With each massacre, the freedom to gather, pray, shop, learn, and simply be free from fear of gun violence, is taken away.. The town is rich in other 20th-century Jewish history, too. And I added some outside readings to express our pain and God's presence in our lives to help us on this journey of healing and through our grief," Sommer said. Crane hid with her 6-year-old daughter in an abandoned storefront, separated from her husband and 1-year-old child who were taken inside an apartment building by a good Samaritan. Highland Park is among a group of suburbs north of Chicago, including Skokie, Glencoe, and Deerfield, that have large Jewish communities and a constellation of synagogues, Kosher and Jewish restaurants, and organizations serving the Jewish community. While authorities have not said what motivated the suspect, investigative groups have pointed to the suspect's social media posts as gravitating towards far-right ideas. Following the shooting, Yosef Schanowitz, the rabbi of the local Chabad synagogue, posted a statement on his website saying that in the spring of 2022, an individual who matches the description of the shooter briefly visited the synagogue.. These are areas that have within them an Orthodox Jewish community in which there is a sizable and cohesive population, which has its own eruvs, community organizations, . People are shaken, but theyre not processing it as I was, or I am more at risk, because I live in Highland Park in particular, Tcath said. Raichik is one of the most prominent purveyors of the slur that LGBTQ people seek to groom or otherwise harm children. Many of them arent quite prepared to see the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band perched atop its flatbed festooned in red, white, and blue or any other floats rolling along Central Avenue again. Therell be hugs and laughter and playing and tootling around, he said. Highland Parks Jewish history dates back to the turn of the 20th century, when Tcath said Jewish families began spending parts of their summers in the area. I dont want one horrible person to ruin a national pastime., Neukirch and her colleagues understand that as thoughtful as theyve tried to be in planning the days events, some folks just wont be interested or ready to join in right now. Serving the Jewish community - Highland Park, IL - Michael Teplitsky honored for dedication, volunteerism To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. The city of Highland Park has reinstated four Pride flags two rabbis had asked the mayor to take down. Then he realized that he wont be fully able to lose himself in the music. Three members of Am Shalom, a Reform congregation in nearby Glencoe, were injured by the gunman and two went to the hospital with their injuries, according to Rabbi Steven Lowenstein, who said the injured did not want to release their names. So had the rabbi of another Orthodox congregation about half a mile away. I wonder as the truck starts driving and gets into the parade and we start our first song, what will I be thinking about at that moment? he said, his voice cracking. But the feeling would last for only a few bars. Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. But once it was over, I felt much better., One of his bandmates, a clarinetist who was on the truck last year, is done with parades. As the anniversary approaches, she sees two schools of thought. For some people, and she includes herself in this group, it is top of mind, it has changed who they feel like they are, said Skolnick. , his friends said, highlights the strife of being Orthodox and gay. The Jewish Sabbath, which runs from Friday night at sundown to Saturday night at sundown, exemplifies rest and joy in Jewish tradition. The Maxwell Street Klezmer band under a bridge at the Highland Park July 4 parade in 2019. , an exuberant wedding song and their go-to opener for parades and, , a gunman opened fire from a rooftop farther along the parade route. She didnt complain, Craig Goldstein told The New York Times. The town is rich in other 20th-century Jewish history, too. in 2018, killing 11 Jewish worshippers. The town is rich in other 20th-century Jewish history, too. Tcath said that while his organization and so many others are still looking into the younger Crimos background, Highland Parks Jews are not reacting first with fears about a looming wave of specifically antisemitic violence. Tcath said that the worst for Highland Park involved antisemitic hockey fans from neighboring towns, who in the 1980s and 90s would throw bagels onto the ice when their children played against Highland Park, to try to intimidate and embarrass them. Dr. Goldstein said his wife had recently lost her mother and had given thought to what kind of arrangements she might want when she dies. We saw the panic and terror in their eyes.. Highland Park, St. Paul; Missouri. No place is safe.. Its a place of movie magic and one of the 100 wealthiest cities in America, tweeted, The town has avoided large-scale antisemitic incidents throughout the 20th century even as nearby Skokie became the site of, a nationwide neo-Nazi march and the center of a landmark Supreme Court case, in the late 1970s, and as West Rogers Park on Chicagos far northwest side saw, a white supremacist shoot to kill multiple Orthodox Jews leaving services. Leslie Hill Hirschfeld, a freelance writer, is a member of the Highland Park Jewish community and has personal ties to some of the . "I just poked my head into the door and just being introduced as I'm clergy and I just want to wish you all the best; our prayers are with you and God give you strength and bless you, and went on to the next room unless somebody needed to talk," he added.