“It really has been a crazy week,” sighed Shira Zimmerman. The mother of three was not referring to the whirlwind of holidays that have come and gone through the beginning of October; she was recounting the story of how her son, Yaacov, was struck by a car on Yom Kippur afternoon. The second grader was crossing the street with his father and brother at the intersection of Wilbur Road and New Bridge Road, on the way to Bais Medrash of Bergenfield (BMOB) for Mincha and Neilah, and “flew in the air” when a driver hit him in the crosswalk.
Shira was home with her 3-year-old when her older son, Eitan, burst through the door just a few minutes after leaving for shul. “He shouted, ‘Yaacov was hit by a car, and Abba needs you!’ so I started grabbing my things,” she recalled. “But then I realized that my husband, Avi, was at the scene, and I needed to watch the kids anyway, so I stayed home. If the police need me, they know where to find me.” Right as she determined to stay put, Bergenfield’s emergency management coordinator—who also happens to be a member of BMOB—pulled up to the Zimmerman home in a po lice car and escorted her and her kids.
Yaacov’s siblings were taken to BMOB, a familiar space for them with child groups in session for Yom Kippur, while Shira headed to the accident site where an ambulance had already arrived. “Many people in our shul are first responders,” she explained, adding that one of the Bergenfield Volunteer Ambulance Corps (BVAC) vehicles usually remains parked at BMOB. “The ambulance driver was frum, and so was another paramedic … it was just so reassuring to me to see frum first responders, doing what they need to do for pikuach nefesh, on Yom Kippur of all days. It was comforting.”
To Shira, this was the first of the outpouring of support for the Zimmerman family following Yaacov’s terrifying accident—all of the fellow shul members who were on the scene at a moment’s notice on the holiest day of the year. When she and Yaacov arrived at Hackensack University Medical Center, the ambulance driver told her, “I’ll be going back to shul, but if you need anything, or you need Avi, please call me.”
Yaacov was evaluated by a trauma team immediately, and thankfully had not sustained any broken bones or internal bleeding. He was moved to the pediatric ER, where a nurse followed up on his complaints that his stomach was hurting, and a CT scan revealed he had a laceration on his liver.
“All of the nurses and doctors were amazing,” Shira said. “Even though Yaacov wasn’t comprehending everything, they still took the time to talk him through everything that was happening and comfort him. Everyone there was so child-friendly and nice.” She explained that this made for an incredibly positive hospital experience for Yaacov in what was otherwise a terrible incident, and that it gave him an understanding of how great medical professionals can be and how important kindness is for recovery.
And the kindness didn’t stop; as soon as Yom Kippur ended, the Zimmerman family was inundated with messages from friends and neighbors offering food, transportation and any other help that could possibly be needed. “At first I was telling people that we were fine, until someone told me that it’s OK if I’m not fine, and that I can’t do it all.”
“We received so much—tons of people brought food, and someone from our shul coordinated the deliveries so there wouldn’t be too much overlap. Grand & Essex even sent us two full meals with all the fixings for Yom Tov,” she shared. “People offered to set up playdates for our kids, to bring them to school so that they can maintain a sense of normalcy. People also donated money to cover any expenses we had in healing both the physical and emotional trauma.”
Shira was blown away at how easily her community stepped up for her family during the “marathon” of the Yom Tov season. “I mean, to not only cook for your own family, but to have time to provide for other people? That’s amazing. These people are like angels.” She continued that “even just messages of comfort were so helpful,” and that so many people reached out to let her know that Yaacov was in their thoughts. “Everyone really went above and beyond.”
Both Shira and Avi have been filled with gratitude for the overwhelming kindness and support they’ve received from the community. “Thank you to everyone for everything … it’s really made a difference not only to us, but to Yaacov’s refuah sheleima.”
The difference is palpable, and Yaacov has thankfully made an astounding recovery since being discharged from the hospital. Shira reported that his external bruises are healing nicely and he isn’t experiencing much pain; his liver laceration is expected to heal completely in the next several weeks. “He is doing amazing. It’s incredible.”
