In aftermath of Highland tragedy, Jewish community members provide countless points of light

(Portions of this story originally ran on Aish.com)
In the wake of the horrors of the Fourth of July tragedy in Highland Park, thousands of people have stepped up to shine light in the darkness. “When tragedy strikes, you take a breath and see who else needs you,” said Amy Slutzky, a licensed clinical professional counselor who helped organize mental health professionals for people traumatized by the shooting. “This is what we do as Jews.”

Opening their door
Bright Bowls was open for July 4 in Highland Park’s main commercial district, and its owners, Lindsay and Matt Meltzer, were prepared for a busy day.
They launched Lindsay’s dream business, a vegan smoothie shop and wellness studio, during the height of COVID. The Meltzers eagerly anticipated lots of foot traffic, since this would be the first year of the parade since the start of the pandemic.
Then, everything changed. People were running for their lives, and the Meltzers knew they could help. “We just opened our door,” Lindsay said. “We have a basement that’s about the size of our entire store, and we were able to house over a hundred people safely, away from windows.”
Matt stood at the front door, keeping watch, while Lindsay guided everyone else, mostly families with young children, to hide downstairs.
“I was in the doorway of Bright Bowls the entire time, and I was solely focused on ‘how do we keep everyone safe?'” Matt said.
A Jewish teacher with some active shooter training played games with the children and helped keep everyone calm while they waited for about two hours. Then, the Meltzers, along with Matt’s dad and some of their employees, helped drive everyone home safely. The Meltzers hope their instinct to act with kindness will inspire others in the wake of tragedy.
“I don’t believe that what we did was heroic. I think that we were being good citizens,” Matt said. “I literally held the door open for people in my own town. I would hope that anyone else would have done the same for us.”

Caring for all
Dr. Lisa Levick was on her way to the parade with her family when she heard news of a shooting. A podiatrist, she announced on Facebook that her office would be open the following day to treat anyone with a medical problem-with or without an appointment, and no matter what their insurance status-to spare local hospitals.
She first opened her clinic to help the wider public during the COVID pandemic when many doctors’ offices were closed. In the aftermath of the terrible shooting there had been a pressing need for blood donors, especially those with less common blood types. “We all can find creative ways to help. Check on your neighbors; you never know what they need.”

Raising $2,000 in 5 minutes
Limore Zilberman was sitting at home, not far from the site of the shooting, wondering how she could possibly help. As hundreds of police officers gathered in Highland Park to help search for the shooter-and as a thunderstorm threatened the area-she posted on a Facebook group for local moms, proposing to buy sandwiches, waterproof ponchos, and coffee for the officers working the perimeter of the lockdown zone. “Anyone want to join me?” she wrote.
Zilberman’s post immediately went viral, and she collected over $2,000 within five minutes. As donations continued to pour in, she announced that she would coordinate efforts to purchase and deliver more supplies the following day.
“We all can donate time and money,” Zilberman said. “Sending prayers for the families is just as helpful as an act of kindness now, too.”
What started as a single post has now turned into an entire Facebook group, Stronger Highland Park, with almost 10,000 members, devoted to supporting the community in myriad ways. The group provides a centralized location for those wishing to offer help like healing yoga sessions, fidget toy and stuffed animal donations, even Cubs tickets for people looking for an emotional and physical break.
Through the group, Zilberman connected with another local mom, an art director named Eliane Rozenblat, to create and sell over 4,000 “HP Strong” yard signs. The signs, which provide a visual representation of community support, raised over $150,000 for the Highland Park Community Fund.

Being on call in crisis
Amy Slutzky posted: “Asking any of my therapist friends to join me and be on call for immediate free crisis counseling to help our community.” She spent the morning of the shooting calling her clients, many of whom are in Highland Park, to check in on them. “I thought if I’m doing this for my people, there are probably people I’m not reaching who need mental health help during this crisis. That’s when I put the post up.” She offered free counseling in the wake of the tragedy.
“There are so many things that make you afraid and want to stay in,” Slutzky noted. “Volunteering makes you feel empowered and gets some checks on the other side of the ledger.”

Remembering the victims
In the aftermath of the shooting, several beautiful memorials sprang up seemingly overnight, offering mourners in the Highland Park community a safe space to gather and grieve for the victims. Artist Noah Reich was one of the faces behind the scenes, traveling from his home in Los Angeles to Highland Park to help construct the memorials.
Reich, with his partner David Maldonado, founded Classroom of Compassion, an LA-based floral and creative arts organization that works to create artistic spaces of compassion and love for communities navigating grief after violence. “Our hope is to create spaces of healing and spaces of remembrance for those that have been lost in these tragedies,” Reich said.
They were inspired to start Classroom of Compassion following the outpouring of love they witnessed after the 2016 shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. “We know how many people around the country and around the world came out to honor our community, came out to show up for our community, came out to hold us during a time when we needed to be held,” Reich said. “We create these healing spaces to help pay it forward in that sort of way.”
The grandson of Holocaust survivors, Reich was committed to making the memorials in Highland Park welcoming to people of all faiths. He wanted to honor all those who had died, including several Jewish victims, and the Jewish people’s strength and will to survive over time.
“We as Jews know what it’s like to survive through mass death. We know what it’s like to rebuild and heal those wounds of loss,” Reich said. “In that regard going forward here in Highland Park and in these days ahead, I think we have a whole tribe of knowledge for us to really kind of lean on. We can ensure that we as Jews feel safe and comfortable in the public space.”

Yvette Alt Miller, Ph.D. and Leslie Hill Hirschfeld are both freelance writers living in the northern suburbs of Chicago.