By
Donald H. Harrison
Along with the rest of San Diego County, the Jewish community suffered deep
emotional losses this week as a result of the wildfires that besieged our
homes, our schools, our institutions and other property.
At the same time, it appeared that the Jewish community was spared any of
the 11 known fatalities related to the fires as of Tuesday.
As the fires coursed through such areas with Jewish populations as Scripps
Ranch, Ramona, Alpine, Lakeside, Poway, Miramar, Tierrasanta, Santee, San
Carlos and Kearny Mesa, it burned down the temporary trailers housing the
Chabad Hebrew Academy and Chabad's headquarters in Scripps Ranch.
Additionally, much of that institutionıs outdoor sculpture garden was
damaged. Melted sculptures included various interpretations of the Jewish
experience.
Of more than 1,000 homes that were consumed countywide, nearly two dozen, and
probably more, were believed to belong to members of the affiliated Jewish
community.
Rabbi Yosef Fradkin, son of Chabadıs regional director Rabbi Yonah Fradkin,
told Heritage there was less than an hour from the time the fire began
spreading south from Ramona to approximately 8:20 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 26, when
Chabad staff frantically grabbed three sefer Torahs to protect them from
destruction.
Everything else in the temporary school trailers was destroyed,
"including files, teachers' personal items, materials that they had
collected over a lifetime of teaching, every single file Chabad headquarters
ever had all our records," Fradkin said.
It was in one of the trailers that Chabad housed a temporary synagogue from
which the Torahs were saved. But other items such as tefillin and tallisim
were destroyed. Fradkin said in many cases these were special keepsakes of
congregants that had been handed down to them through generations or acquired
for special occasions such as weddings and bar mitzvahs.
"The people are very affected by that," he said.
Also destroyed, said Fradkin, was a "large collection of art prints, from
the 16th to 19th century, that recently were donated, so they were not
insured."
Fradkin said notwithstanding the property losses, there was much to be
thankful for. Chabad's new campus, located on higher ground on the same
Scripps Ranch property, was relatively unscathed. He said the mutiple-building
complex, intended to house a library, community center,
adult education center, school, synagogue and administrative offices,
originally had been scheduled for completion in December. "Now we will
make every effort to do it more quickly," he said.
Fradkin said arrangements are being made to move the classes for approximately
300 students to other institutions. The Lawrence
Family JCC in La Jolla was mentioned by its director, Michael Cohen, as
one possibility.
Scripps Ranch was one of the communities in San Diego hardest hit by the fire.
On Tuesday, Oct. 28, at a meeting of synagogue and agency leaders held at the
headquarters of the United
Jewish Federation of San Diego County, various congregations reported how
many of their members had homes destroyed.
Congregation Beth Israel,
which counts 84 families from Scripps Ranch among its membership, reported
nine families whose homes were destroyed. Rabbi Sheila Goloboy said there were
unconfirmed reports that seven other Beth Israel families also lost their
homes.
Of the nine families with confirmed losses, she said, "seven have
school-aged children." For these families, finding temporary homes near
their children's schools will be a challenge.
"All our congregants have been receiving an outpouring of offers from
other congregants, some of whom have guest houses," Goloboy said.
Although the names of the families were known, they were not released to the
news media out of concern for the families' privacy.
Gail Littman, a former president of Temple
Adat Shalom in Poway, said two families in her congregation had lost
homes, and she reported another three families who are members of Congregation
Beth El in La Jolla also had their homes destroyed by the blazes.
Littman said affiliated Jews were being comforted by members of their
congregations; however, "our biggest concern is how we reach the
unaffiliated Jews. How can our Jewish community be there for them?
"I saw someone being interviewed on local television the other night, his
last name was Israel, and he said his biggest concern was finding a rental
property near his home."
At Tifereth
Israel Synagogue in the San Carlos area, there were reports, as yet
unconfirmed, that some members who live in Lakeside also may have been left
homeless by the fire.
Littman and Reform Rabbi Deborah Prinz of Temple Adat Shalom loaded Torahs
into their cars for a quick getaway in the event that their synagogue
buildings were attacked by flames. That scene was repeated at other
institutions representing a variety of Jewish movements: Conservative Rabbi
Leonard Rosenthal removed the sefer Torahs from Tifereth Israel Synagogue,
Reconstructionist Cantor Leon Natker removed Torahs from Congregation
Dor Hadash in Kearny Mesa, and Orthodox Rabbi Baruch Lederman protected
the Torahs of Congregation Kehillas Torah in the Scripps Ranch area.
The offices of the United Jewish Federation, on Murphy Canyon Road near the
Interstate 15, for a while appeared to be in the path of the fire, as were the
offices of the Agency
for Jewish Education on Mercury Street in Kearny Mesa. Both were not
burned, but like other buildings and homes throughout San Diego County they
were covered with soot and ash, and smelled of smoke.
At the UJF meeting, it was decided to promote two funds through the Jewish
Community Foundation of San Diego to help victims of the fire. One fund,
to be called the Jewish Community Disaster Fund, will be administered directly
by the Foundation. Additionally, the leadership urged contributions earmarked
for "2003 Wildfires" be made to the American Red Cross, said
Stephen Abramson, UJF's executive vice president.
Dr. Steve Solomon, the UJF's campaign chairman and a psychologist, recommended
setting up a committee of psychologists to help counsel victims of the fire.
Similarly, attorney Jerry Goldberg, a past president of Congregation Beth
Israel, urged a committee of attorneys and experts in
insurance law be formed to help victims to quickly settle their fire claims.
This task was assigned to UJF's Cardozo Society, under the leadership of
attorneys Larry Kaplan and Barbara Spiegel. Information can be obtained at the
Federationıs office at (858) 571-3444.
Mitchell S. Golub, a partner in the law firm of Thorsnes, Bartolotta and
McGuire, in quickly agreeing to work with the Cardozo Society, told Heritage
that his and other law firms that specialize in construction litigation should
try to enlist free services from architectural, structural and soils
consultants familiar with the problems of rebuilding.
Meanwhile, Jewish
Family Service was designated as the central agency to provide assistance
to those affected by the fire, especially people whose houses were destroyed.
Anyone requiring such assistance can telephone the JFS from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. weekdays at (619) 291 0473.
There were stories of Jews coming to the aid of fire victims of all religions
and ethnicities. Rabbi Rafael Goldstein, the community chaplain, spent many
hours counseling people at Santana
High School in Santee, one of the evacuation centers set up by the Red
Cross in locations throughout the county.
Goldstein was moved by the plight of some of the county's poorer residents
whom he found there. "People with resources donıt go to shelters,"
he said. "I spoke with a father living in a trailer on his daughter's
property, which was destroyed. What does he do now? The Red Cross will help
him find temporary shelter, but he receives $700 a month in Social Security
and his
medical bills are $800 a month."
Goldstein said while many people are focusing on the expensive homes lost in
places like Poway and Scripps Ranch, they should not forget less affluent
people who were left destitute.
"I spoke with lots of people living in trailers, families with little
kids. The fathers are unemployed, the mothers are unemployed, and now that
they've lost the trailer, what are they to do?"
Listening to their tales, Goldstein said he tried to "bring comfort, and
maybe talk about some of the greater theological issues as they came up, such
as 'Where is God?' and 'Why me?' I told them that God was with us, listening
to them."
Many thousands of residents returned to their homes after fires were either
turned back or passed them by. Some had stayed at shelters or with friends,
while others milled around at Qualcomm Stadium.
This newspaper was affected by the fires because both my assistant editor Gail
Umeham and I, along with our families, had to be evacuated on Sunday from our
respective homes. We were permitted to return on Monday, but that caused a
one-day production delay for the newspaper.
Rabbi Arthur Zuckerman of Congregation
Beth Am and his wife Simi spent considerable time bringing food to
emergency personnel on the fire lines.
Besides being the pulpit rabbi at his large Conservative congregation, Rabbi
Zuckerman also serves as a chaplain for the county Sheriff's
Department. His congregation's mitzvah committee, meanwhile, issued an
appeal for items that can be donated to families in need. Suggested items
included: "1) CDs of Jewish, classical or jazz music; 2) baby items
(crib, clothes, etc.); 3)
Barbie dolls; 4) Thomas the Tank Engine or Brio train tracks &
accessories; 5) Toy tools, toy gardening tools, etc.; 6) gift certificates to
Target or Westfield Shopping Centers."
Ohr Shalom
Synagogue at 3rd and Laurel Streets opened its doors to evacuees, Rabbi
Scott Meltzer said.
The Lawrence Family JCC, which is next to the San Diego Police substation in
eastern La Jolla, kept its gym and showers open for use by police and firemen
during the fires.
Chabad at San Diego
State University provided overnight shelter for approximately 25 families
drawn from the San Carlos, Tierrasanta and San Carlos areas, said Rabbi Chalom
Boudjnak.
Public officials who are Jewish played important roles in the fire and its
aftermath. Sheriff Bill Kolender helped coordinate law enforcement in the
unincorporated areas of the county, which, besides some of the communities
already listed, include such fire-besieged areas as Descanso, Guatay, Julian,
Otay Lakes, Palomar, Pine Valley and Valley Center. Lynn Schenk,
chief of staff for outgoing California Gov. Gray Davis, sought firefighting
assistance from federal agencies and other states. U.S. Rep. Bob Filner
(D-Chula Vista) wrote to President George W. Bush asking prompt action to
bring federal disaster aid to the county. County Assessor Greg Smith announced
that downward tax adjustments would be made promptly on properties
with structures destroyed or damaged by fire.
Beginning with the outbreak of the fires on Sunday, a number of Jewish
communal activities had to be cancelled, not only because of fear of fire, but
also because of the intolerably polluted air hovering over San Diego as well
as the inaccessibility of some freeways.
A rally in the Del Mar area that had been planned in support of Israel,
featuring San Diego City Atty. Casey Gwinn, was one of the canceled events.
Another was an open house at the Agency for Jewish Education to introduce
interfaith families to its Pathways to Judaism course.
Additionally, the Sunday night performance of Once Upon a Mattress by
the J*Company was cancelled, with ticket-holders urged by managing director
Patrick Stewart to try to reschedule for performances this weekend or to
accept substitute ducats for Benjamin and Judah, a new production
planned during the Chanukah season. People attending this weekend's
performances
were urged to bring checks made out to the newly created Jewish Community
Disaster Fund.
All five San Diego Jewish day schools cancelled their classes for the first
several days of this week, while other institutions such as Congregation
Adat Yeshurun set up ad hoc day care centers to assist working parents
left without schools to take their children.
There was hope that this coming weekend would bring relief from the fires and
from the polluted skies.
Chabad Hebrew Academy, the institution hardest hit, scheduled special Shabbat
services on the Scripps Ranch campus for this Friday night and Saturday
morning in gratitude for what Fradkin described as the "miracle"
that saved the new building.
At Congregation Beth Israel, program director Bonnie Graff said an art show,
"Voices and Visions," featuring works for sale by Israeli artists,
which begins on Friday, may help lift spirits.
Other upcoming events expected to be both of community benefit and
spirit-reviving include the 26th annual ball of the Womenıs Auxiliary of
Seacrest Village at the Sheraton Hotel and Marina this Saturday evening, and a
pre-Chanukah shopping fair planned by the Shalom Baby Project from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. Wednesday at the Lawrence Family JCC. |