At our monthly clergy lunch on Wednesday, one of the ministers told us of his family’s deep concern as the fires rage in Los Angeles this week. His in-laws living in L.A. had to evacuate their home as did other members of the family. While all escaped injury and are safe at this time, thanks to modern technology, they had the horrifying experience of watching remotely as their security cameras recorded their backyard and then their home catching fire and then being destroyed. They are among the thousands now homeless as the fires continue to rage and the winds carry embers from the blaze to other places while firefighters do their best to contain and end the inferno. Having a personal connection to the tragedy though, makes it not merely another news report, but brings it home to us many miles away. It makes it real for us.
Among the places destroyed, we hear of homes of the rich and the poor, places of historic interest like the former home of Will Rogers, palatial mansions of movie stars and other celebrities, and of favorite restaurants and other businesses, as well as houses of worship and entertainment. Along with a number of churches that were burned down, Pasadena’s Temple Israel, a historic Conservative congregation, lost its building in the fire as well. The reports indicate that all of the Torah scrolls were safely removed prior to the fire but the real concern right now is not for the building but for congregants and their families living nearby who have lost their homes or whose homes are being threatened by the flames.
My sister lives in Huntington Beach and when I checked with her on Wednesday, she reminded me that she lives 60 miles south of the fires, but nonetheless she was carefully watching the news and keeping track of the fires’ progress. My brother and sister-in-law live in Oregon which has dealt with its own fires in the recent past, but their son and daughter-in-law and two of their grandchildren do live in the Los Angeles area. Speaking to my brother, he told me that my nephew Adam and his wife Erin and their children had safely evacuated ahead of the fires and were in a safe place and that at this point their home has not been damaged. However, they are being very cautious as they consider when exactly it may be safe to go home.
Some disasters like hurricanes, floods, and tornados, are expected from time to time in various parts of the country and, when we avoid them, we breathe a sigh of relief. Others, like this fire, are unexpected and catch people off guard. Some have noted that this disaster hit an area that was supposedly below the fire zone in a state where fires frequently burn parts of the forested land. I don’t know where one can go to complain. These events are never “fair.” They are devastating, frightening, and traumatic. Our hearts go out to those who are affected. We all have our own stories of these kinds of events that have affected us or people we know.
Some 35 years ago, shortly after moving to Charleston, SC, Hurricane Hugo struck the area and as the storm approached the city, the County Executive advised people in low-lying areas to evacuate. My parents had come earlier that day to visit us in our new home. After hearing the warning on the evening news, we woke them up and we all left to head inland first to Columbia and then to Greenville, sending my folks home to Connecticut. When we left, we had just grabbed some clothing and toiletries, enough for a couple of days, leaving everything else behind, for the only important thing to save, we realized, were our lives. Nothing else was that important. Thankfully, our home suffered relatively minor damage. Fortunately for us, a big sweetgum tree that could have easily destroyed the house, fell backwards onto a fence and into the woods instead of onto our roof. Other damage was relatively minor and covered by insurance. The synagogue, located in the next neighborhood, suffered a lot of roof damage, and water damage from the rains that followed. We also had to remove 105 fallen trees, some from the roof of the building or the parking lot. Yet, with generators providing electrical power, we held high holiday services nonetheless with a few ceiling tiles still hanging overhead.
Other hurricanes came and went over our years in Charleston and friends and relatives along that southern coast dodged a number of other serious storms as well. More recently, Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc upon Western North Carolina, destroying places we often have visited in the Asheville area and affecting the retreat center we have attended off the Blue Ridge Parkway for many years. Thankfully, those people we know in that area all are safe though some underwent considerable loss to their homes. The Wildacres retreat center expects to re-open on schedule this spring after repairing some minor damage, restoring utilities, and having access roads up to their mountaintop cleared and repaired. I still do not have a clear picture of what downtown Asheville looks like at this point, though I know that many of the restaurants and shops suffered tremendous loss from wind and flood waters in an area we enjoy visiting each year.
Such disasters are heart-breaking and so often, even if we do not know people personally who were impacted by these tragic events, we feel for the victims of these so-called “acts of God.” There is no point in blaming the victims who have chosen to live in areas where such events are not uncommon, but truly God or Nature is only partially responsible for the results of these naturally occurring tragedies. Though nobody wants to be on the receiving end of these catastrophes, they often have some positive outcomes as we witness the response of neighbors and friends to these tragedies. After the hurricane in Charleston, donations came in from all over the country. Neighbors we had not yet met came out of their houses and commiserated with us during the cleanup process. Nearby communities not affected by the storm were concerned about our High Holiday observances and sent round holiday challahs and kosher meals that were served at the Jewish Community Center and at the synagogue itself. Already, in California, one can read of people helping their neighbors evacuate their homes, directing traffic onto the evacuation routes,, and checking on those in their neighborhoods who may need help. Of course, there are various organizations who are offering aid and support for those who have lost their homes and everything in them. One can make donations to aid these people through organizations such as the Red Cross or through the Jewish Federation in Chicago and numerous other charitable groups that have already established relief funds to supplement aid provided by the federal and local governments. On-line, NBC in Los Angeles has provided a list of local agencies that have been vetted and to which one might wish to donate. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/business/money-report/heres-a-list-of-the-top-rated-charities-to-help-the-wildfire-relief-effort/3599214/
As has often been noted following such events, the true “acts of God” are the godly acts that people do to reach out and help those who have undergone such calamities. Our prayers go out to those who have been impacted by these fires, we pray that they remain safe and that the firefighters still working to bring an end to this destruction may soon bring the fires under control and that people might return to their homes or may find the strength to rebuild and start anew.
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