Nearly all modern interpretations of Orthodox law forbid same-sex relations, though recently a number of Orthodox public figures have come out as queer. An NJ town took down Pride flags at the request of 2 synagogues - then 'We Are Shell-shocked': Highland Park Jewish Community - Haaretz.com 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 . One Year After Highland Park . Thats basically our backyard.. I would never bring my kids to that., And some arent ready to gather with larger groups at all. 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. (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.) While the Squirrel Hill shooters motive was clear, local police are still investigating the alleged Highland Park attacker, Robert Bobby Crimo III. A short while later he departed without incident. I know that Highland Park has a significant Jewish population, but I don't have a sense for what % that is. Hulus The Bear brought up Jewish lightning: What does it mean, and is it antisemitic? Another one ducked behind bushes. 88, which has coded meaning for neo-Nazis, In notable stand, Israels ambassador to US says trans rights are human rights, US rejoins UNESCO, reversing Trump administration pullout over anti-Israel bias, Jewish quotas were at the heart of Supreme Court affirmative action ruling. It was supposed to be the year of the parades triumphant return. She attended the parade with her older daughter so that Cassie could reunite with friends from high school, Craig Goldstein, a hospital physician, told the newspaper. Highland Park Kosher & Jewish Guide, Vacations & Trips: the biggest web guide for Kosher Restaurants & Eateries, Hotels, Vacation Rentals, Synagogues, Mikvahs, Minyans / Shuls, Shabbat Meals, Rooms & Hospitality, Chabad - for the Jewish Observant Traveler in Highland Park Illinois . Three months after mass shooting, klezmer band returns to Highland Park, But the feeling would last for only a few bars. Ravinia Festival is an open-air pavilion seating 3,200, which hosts classical, pop, jazz and latin concerts in the summers. What you need to know about Highland Park, the Chicago suburb rattled His parents had helped bring dozens of Holocaust survivors to the United States. And finally, evening entertainment will include a concert by Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band and a custom drone show in lieu of fireworks. 2023 jewish telegraphic agency all rights reserved. ) 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),. , is not believed to have been driven by antisemitism, Jews in and around Highland Park. The director of a local synagogue said he passed out both American and Israeli flags along the North Shore parade route. Jacki was a lifelong congregant of NSCI and a cherished member of NSCIs staff team for decades, there are no words sufficient to express the depth of our grief for Jackis death and sympathy for her family and loved ones, North Shore Congregation Israel, a local Reform synagogue, wrote in an email to its congregants informing them of Sundheims killing. The town is rich in other 20th-century Jewish history, too. Before the parade began last year, band members tuned up, jamming with a high school drumline and other musicians slated to perform. Now the towns mayor, Democrat Elsie Foster, has reversed her decision again following public pushback. 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. She was always along for the ride.. Foster said her goal was to thread a line between what she saw as genuine religious concerns from one part of her community and a genuine desire for respect and inclusion from another. Jewish news outlet The Forward reported that five of the seven victims were either Jewish or members of Jewish families. And for Rabbi Yosef Schanowitz, that meant rushing to Highland Park's hospital, where he regularly volunteers as a chaplain. We aren't Jewish, my husband is Christian and I'm not religious. History of the Jews in Chicago Part of a series on Ethnic groups in Chicago Armenians [1] Afghans [2] African Americans Albanians [3] Appalachian Assyrians [4] Austrians [5] Belarusians Belgians [6] Bosnians Brazilians [7] Chinese Croatians [8] Czechs Dutch [9] English [10] Estonians [11] Finns [12] Germans Ghanaians [13] Guatemalans [14] Greeks A parade observer, local Jewish entrepreneur Candice Crane, laughed and took pictures with her husband and two of her young children. Courtesy of Maxwell Street Klezmer Band. Some lamenting the tragedy on social media noted how the shooting punctured a very affluent, normally peaceful town where several iconic movies ostensibly about American suburbia from Ferris Buellers Day Off to Sixteen Candles were filmed. But there is commonality too, as the community stricken by last years calamity contemplates the upcoming holiday, which to many will not feel like one. Highland Park has at times been a bedroom community for nearby Rutgers University and Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, . They continued to play even as a handful of people began running toward them, against the flow of the parade. Highland Park suspect charged with murder as community mourns Highland Park, Illinois - Wikipedia (About 3% of the Jews in Highland Park and its surrounding towns are Israeli, the study also found.). in 2018, killing 11 Jewish worshippers. 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., The city of Highland Park which created a Resiliency Division and began thinking months ago about how to handle the first July 4 after the shooting has decided against a parade and fireworks. Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site. According to news reports, Crimo had a history of consuming and sharing ultra-violent content online but there is so far nothing to indicate that he was motivated by racial or antisemitic bias. Where is Highland Park? What we know about affluent Chicago suburb 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. As the flatbed began to roll and they struck up the klezmer in earnest, Maxwell Street tuba player Howard Prager noticed people dancing on the sidewalk. The mass shooting left, five of whom belonged to Jewish families and dozens more. 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. In Highland Park's Jewish community, few are untouched by deadly mass But as discussions of LGBTQ equality and visibility have taken center stage in the United States culture wars, even. In 2019, Highland Park High School yearbooks had to be edited. Thousands of kosher food lovers turn out for the first-ever Kosherpalooza festival at Meadowlands, Biden administration names Dan Shapiro, former US envoy to Israel, to manage Abraham Accords, Kim Kardashian cries over Kanye Wests antisemitism in upcoming Kardashians episode, The Jewish Sport Report: This inspiring Jewish sports story will never air on TV. THE tiny 1.8-square-mile borough of Highland Park in Middlesex County, N.J., has been taking on a cosmopolitan flavor in recent years. (JTA) In 2014, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency included Highland Park in an article on communities across the country that were melding Jewish pride into their ceremonies for July 4, which that year fell on Friday, just before Shabbat. 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. Most years, the band plays at two parades on July 4. 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. community or kosher restaurants area. 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 is rich in other 20th-century Jewish history, too. 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. Mass shooting in Highland Park touches Jewish community 88, which has coded meaning for neo-Nazis, In notable stand, Israels ambassador to US says trans rights are human rights, US rejoins UNESCO, reversing Trump administration pullout over anti-Israel bias, Jewish quotas were at the heart of Supreme Court affirmative action ruling. For decades, the Orthodox world has struggled with whether and how to accept LGBTQ people. There is no indication of antisemitism but any attack in Highland Park is felt very strongly by the Jewish community.. 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. The purpose of this music has always been to push back against the darkness, Lippitz said. The victims, both the deceased and the wounded reflect the community. They urged me to go from from door to door, and it was [for people of] all faiths," Schanowitz said. we are reminded of our responsibility as a community to address the root causes of gun violence . Congregation Solel was led for a decade by Rabbi Robert Marx, a pioneering social justice activist who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and died last year at 93. assistant director for program marketing at JCC Chicago and a fellow single mother who was part of the camp group last year have been talking about taking their kids to the drone show together. Several Highland Park mayors, including the incumbent Nancy Rotering, have been Jewish. According to communications from city officials, Congregation Ohav Emeth, a local Orthodox synagogue, had objected to the quartet of banners waving in front of its building. The First Amendment and basic principles of respect for others support their right to object to attempts to force on them what has at times been displayed as a symbol of immodesty, Kovac said, adding, Mayor Foster did exactly what she should have done when faced with a conflict between constituents in town. "But beyond the Jewish part, it's a tight-knit community in general." . Jewish community in Highland Park grieves, takes action after mass In Highland Park's Jewish community, few are untouched by deadly mass taken by a parade-goer of the band starting to play and then abruptly stopping as shots rang out, captured some of the chaos. But Highland Park has the highest Jewish ratio of them all, and it was the original Chicago suburb that grew a substantial Jewish population in the early 20th century. . So everybodys affected a little differently.. He entered wearing a yarmulke yet seemed out of place. "We're supposed to celebrate Shabbat with with song and joy, and it was very subdued. Congregation Solel was led for a decade by Rabbi Robert Marx, a pioneering social justice activist who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and died last year at 93. Her anxiety comes in waves, and she was surprised to find it triggered by the warming weather and start of camp. while also respecting the religious sensitivities of our Orthodox Jewish community . Her campers are 6 years old. will begin with a remembrance ceremony at city hall (which will also be live streamed for anyone who wants to watch but isnt comfortable attending in person) and a community walk that is decidedly not a parade. Its not designed to be something people view, its designed to be something that people do, so that as a community we are actively traveling this journey together, said Amanda Bennett, communications manager for the city. 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. Six of the seven people who were killed at the parade shooting were officially identified on Tuesday: Katherine Goldstein (age 64), Irena McCarthy (35), Kevin McCarthy (37), Stephen Straus (88), Jacki Sundheim (63) and Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza (78). I did have a conversation, a very private conversation, with a rabbi, and a request was made, Foster told constituents at the council meeting on June 20. 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. A event participant lights a memorial candle 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. north of Chicago, have spent the past year grieving and trying to make sense of the horrific turn that morning took. There were funerals to plan, families to support. In Highland Park, he told JTA, they prefer the Israeli flag., Get The Jewish Chronicle Weekly Edition by email and never miss our top stories "Incidents like these can leave victims and members of the community feeling vulnerable and unprotected. Everybody was just glad to be there, said trombonist Dana Legg. Therell be hugs and laughter and playing and tootling around, he said. Highland Park, IL For months after escaping with her own twin daughters and frantically contacting the families shed gathered for the event, she felt safe only at home and at camp. The city of Highland Park has reinstated four Pride flags two rabbis had asked the mayor to take down. A mass shooting in a heavily Jewish suburb of Chicago on July 4 was the 308th such incident this year and that fact alone makes this latest tragedy "beyond heartbreaking" for Rabbi Steven Stark. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the parade in Highland Park began around 10 A.M. and the shooting began only 10 minutes later, when the suspect, 21-year-old Robert E. Crimo III, allegedly opened fire at parade-goers from a near-by rooftop, killing six and wounding 36. Congregation Solel was led for a decade by. List of Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States - Wikipedia But there also support from the city, which connected people with specialized mental health counselors, from Jewish institutions, and from one another. Elissa Kaplan, an LGBTQ Orthodox Jew, told the crowd at the council meeting that her dual identities made her a potential model and bridge for the community. 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. But Highland Park has the highest Jewish ratio of them all, and it was the original Chicago suburb that grew a substantial Jewish population in the early 20th century. An achdus that one would ordinarily only find in a small community is palpable in our well-established community of over 1,500 Shomer Shabbos families. Highland Park: Chicago's Jewish suburb - Welcome to Unpacked Highland Park synagogue-goers were also, active in the movement to free Soviet Jewry, in the 1970s and 80s. Join the Forward (in person in Aspen) for a wide-ranging conversation with Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and Jodi Rudoren, editor-in-chief of the Forward. But as they began playing Freylekhs fun der khupe, an exuberant wedding song and their go-to opener for parades and simchas, a gunman opened fire from a rooftop farther along the parade route. The Lake Shore Country Club opened in 1908 as likely the only of its kind in the area to admit Jews in neighboring Glencoe, but Tcath said it was primarily populated by [people from] Highland Park. In 1918, the similar Northmoor Country Club opened in Highland Park proper. 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. Several weeks before the Highland Park July 4 mass shooting Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Its members are committed to performing at other Chicago-area July 4 parades next week. "Sadly, New Jersey is not immune to anti-Jewish animus," Cohen said. Serotta cautioned against speaking about the Jewish community being ready to heal so soon after the shooting. Its irresponsible and unacceptable and we must demand better.. I approached him and sternly asked him to leave as I noticed he was not a member of our community," Schanowitz told Israel National News. Highland Park: the very Jewish Chicago suburb rattled by July 4 But neither can fathom participating in the community walk. ), 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. She listened to and empathized with both sides and did her best to accommodate the needs of each.. Leslie Hill Hirschfeld, a freelance writer, is a member of the Highland Park Jewish community and has personal ties to some of the . If You're Thinking of Living In/Highland Park, N.J.; Small in Size but Chicagos North Shore and its Jewish community have mourned the dead, nursed wounds both physical and emotional, and tried as best they could to regain a sense of normalcy. This is our joy, and this is our spirit, and this is our ruach, and lets dance., And yes, their classic opener, Freylekhs fun der khupe, which they never got to finish playing last year, is in the lineup. Ohav Emeths rabbi, Eliyahu Kaufman, declined a JTA request for comment, as did Rabbi Steven Miodownik, who heads Congregation Ahavas Achim, another Orthodox synagogue nearby that shares a vaad, or rabbinic council, with Kaufmans synagogue. In 2019, Highland Park High School yearbooks had to be edited to remove Nazi and white supremacist elements from multiple students comments. Get email notification for articles from Sam Sokol. The flagship Modern Orthodox campus, Yeshiva University, has cited its status as a religious institution in an, over its refusal to recognize an LGBTQ student group. Jun 27, 2023, 7:20 PM . Jason Brown at the 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, March 21, 2019. This year Lippitz has signed them up to perform at three: the 10 a.m. in Lake Bluff, the 12 p.m. in Skokie, and the 2 p.m. in Evanston. 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. 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. They are about not feeling shame anymore for who you are. 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. He recalled that Katherine, an avid bird watcher, said she wanted to be cremated and to have her remains scattered in the Montrose Beach area of Chicago, where there is a bird sanctuary. Upon hearing this years itinerary, his first thought as a tuba player whos always considered July 4 to be his big day was that hed love to play. "I dread the phone calls I miss, or the phone number I don't have, or who I should have called that I didn't," Sommer said. 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),. This year Lippitz has signed them up to perform at. Several Highland Park mayors, including the incumbent Nancy Rotering, have been Jewish. (Screenshot from YouTube). Its reporter is a member of the Highland Park Jewish community and has personal ties to some of the interview subjects, as well as at least one of the victims. Sign up for JTAs Daily Briefing for the latest headlines. The HDC Board of Directors is composed of community volunteers elected to serve two-year terms. Many people feeling fear and a pervasive sense of shock.. 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. Katherine Goldsteins husband described her as an easygoing travel companion who was always game to visit far-flung locales. Straus, a Chicago financial adviser, was one of the first observers at the parade and attended it every year, his grandchildren said. I learned a lot from the comments of many residents and especially the thoughtful teens who spoke at the Mayor and Council meeting, Foster wrote in a statement posted to Facebook, referring to a meeting last week of Highland Parks Borough Council. (Max Herman/AFP via Getty Images) By Leslie Hirschfeld and Andrew Lapin On Monday, seven people were killed and more than 36 others were wounded in a shooting at a July Fourth parade in the Chicago suburb. Were happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. One of them hid behind a port-a-potty during the shooting. 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. I learned a lot from the comments of many residents and especially the thoughtful teens who spoke at the Mayor and Council meeting,, Foster wrote in a statement posted to Facebook, , referring to a meeting last week of Highland Parks Borough Council.