WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – In the wake of a devastating tragedy at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, neighbors leaned in and offered small comforts that became much bigger.
Local 4 spoke exclusively to Soul Cafe, a nearby bakery that stepped into action and greeted terrified kids on Thursday, March 12, with cookies and pizza as they waited to reunite with their families.
“Yesterday was normal, great morning, starting out,” Jason Millross, the kitchen manager at Soul Cafe, said.
For Millross, it was a regular Thursday serving up lattes and lunch.
“Around 12:30ish, everything started getting hectic,” Millross said. “We were on lockdown, so nobody could go in or out of the building.”
The cozy cafe is half a mile away from Temple Israel.
It’s a peaceful place for coffee and treats, a bright spot built on belonging, often employing people with special needs.
“Not a normal day,” Local 4’s Kyla Russell said.
“Not at all, no,” Millross said. “Like all of the officers, SWAT I believe in the back, getting all dressed and armored up and ready to go.”
So, Soul Cafe did their own version of suiting up. They fired up the flames.
“This is what we do, yeah, we make pizzas, we got in this oven and just started going,” Jason said. “Vitamin water, cookies, some snacks, as much as we could gather it up and we sent it over.”
They sent it here, where families were reuniting. It was the simplest of comfort foods, greeting kids and first responders in their darkest moments.
It’s that kind of community that keeps Rabbi Levi Shemtov going. He’s the executive director of Friendship Circle.
Friendship Circle is a Jewish nonprofit that works with people with special needs and operates Soul Cafe, along with several other organizations.
“What was it like to see the cafe step up in the way that they did?” Russell asked.
“The beauty was how natural it was for everyone here, that we didn’t drill for this,” Shemtov said. “We drill for an emergency, but we don’t drill for an emergency happening half a mile away.”
“Without having each other’s back, you end up by yourself and that doesn’t work,” Millross said.
No children or staff were injured. The FBI is leading the investigation and is considering the case as a targeted act of violence.
Anyone with photos or videos of the attack is urged to submit them through the FBI digital tip channel or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.