Jewish families channel Passover story after devastating losses in Los Angeles wildfires

PASADENA, California (AP) — Aty Rotter lost her family home and her spiritual home in the ravenous fire that scorched a large swath of Los Angeles County earlier this year.

The house her late father built in Pasadena more than 60 years ago is gone to the fire that charred more than 21 square miles (54 square kilometers). So is the 104-year-old Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center where she has worshipped since she was a child.

The January fire destroyed the menorahs she lit for Hanukkah and the growing collection of dreidels she planned to pass down to her granddaughters. Also lost forever are the candlesticks and brassware her family carried while fleeing Nazi Europe, and the Seder plates she would have used for the upcoming ritual Passover meal this weekend.

“Only their spirit and memory of those things remain with me now,” Rotter said. “The memories of when I used them and who was with me.”

A sobering Passover

She’s not alone. Thirty of the synagogue’s 435 families lost their homes and even more were displaced. As the major Jewish festival approaches, it’s hard not to see the Passover story reflected in this post-fire reality, said Melissa Levy, the temple’s executive director.

Passover, which begins at sundown Saturday, commemorates the Israelites' liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, including their 40-year journey through the desert. It is celebrated with a special meal called a Seder, the eating of matzo or unleavened bread, and the retelling of the Exodus story.

“The synagogue itself and our people are doing a lot of wandering right now, and having to focus on togetherness and resiliency is a theme that hits home harder than usual this year,” Levy said.

The congregation has received overwhelming support from the community. First United Methodist Church opened its doors so they could continue to hold weekly Shabbat services, their Passover Seders will be held at Pasadena City College, and a synagogue member is sponsoring the second night’s dinner.

“The outpouring of support we’ve received reminds us that we’re not alone and we’re not wandering alone,” Levy said. “It’s a good reminder that we all are part of one human family and that the purpose of religion is to make ourselves the best we can be so we can repair the world and take care of each other.”

While the sanctuary adorned with stained glass panels completely burned down, all 13 Torah scrolls were saved, including a Persian scroll retrieved by a congregant from Iran.

Speaking about trauma and loss

Cantor Ruth Berman Harris, who leads the congregation in lieu of a full-time rabbi, said she channeled her Polish grandmother who survived the Holocaust as she and others fought to save the sacred scrolls from the approaching flames.

“When I heard the fire was getting closer to the synagogue, that was no time to feel. It was time to step up and take action,” she said.

Time and again, Jewish people “have been forced to pack up and move, go somewhere else and experience something new,” often not of their own volition, Harris said. The Haggadah, a book that leads participants through a Seder, serves as a reminder of Jewish resilience. But the trauma of the fire is recent and raw.

“It’s not easy to talk about this sense of loss when it just happened,” she said. “But also, it’s Passover, and so I need to talk about it.”

Harris is preparing for this task even as she processes her own trauma. She changed the background of her Apple watch from fire – a reminder “of the internal fire we carry that is connected to God” — to water.

Levy said the community currently uses three locations – one where they pray, another that serves as office quarters and a third that houses their school. They are looking for rental space where they can consolidate all of their programs and settle down while planning a major fundraising effort to rebuild.

Replacing lost sacred items

As Passover approaches, this theme of replenishing and rebuilding continues with various efforts in the area’s Jewish communities to replace sacred items, also known as Judaica, that were lost in the fire. Last month, Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles hosted an event featuring thousands of new and used Judaica items where Rotter and others affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires were able to obtain them for free.

Rotter said she found Seder plates, covers for matzo and challah breads and kiddush cups, which hold wine or grape juice that is used in sanctifying prayers recited to mark the beginning of the Jewish holiday.

Rachel Neumann, a congregant since 2017, said much of her Judaica was ruined in the fire, though her Altadena home survived.

“I lost my Shabbat items and various heirlooms, including things from my late father,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “To see this room full of Jewish ritual items donated by individuals or Judaica companies was so beautiful to me. It felt very special to be cared for in this way.”

A way to repair and replenish

Emily Kane Miller, a board member at the Kehillat Israel synagogue in Pacific Palisades, founded an organization called Heart and Hamsa with actress and activist Noa Tishby. It’s a free registry and marketplace for Judaica for Jewish families affected by the wildfires. While her synagogue survived the fire, Miller’s home did not. She lost heirlooms handed down from her great-grandmother, a Holocaust survivor.

The site has received numerous donations, including many items from precious Judaica collections.

“We’ve received hundreds of Judaica items, which represent hundreds of stories,” Miller said. “There are hundreds of miracles that brought those pieces to affected families that then become opportunities to reverberate that miracle every time a family uses an item.”

While giving away items that have been handed down over generations can be difficult, even painful, it’s also a “loving act of kindness in a time of struggle,” Miller said. Launching this site along with Tishby has helped her cope with a low moment in her life, she said.

“I didn’t just lose my house,” Miller said. “My entire community burned down. To still be able to appreciate and feel the sacred in our world is such a gift. It’s my medicine in this moment.”

Alisa Bromberg, who lost her Pacific Palisades home, said she has felt a sense of tranquility after bringing the Judaica to her rental. She deliberately picked items that appeared old or used.

“The new things are lovely, but they did not speak to me in the same way that the older ones did,” she said. “So much of Jewish history is storytelling. I feel so empowered by the people who came before me.”

In her home, Bromberg had a wall display dedicated to her ancestors. Since that burned down, Bromberg has created a new one decorated with Seder plates she recently received.

“The wall talks to me and I feel like it protects and envelops me,” she said. “With this Judaica now in my home, I have felt relief for the first time in three months.”

Now the fire is part of her Jewish story and her history. That's why nestled in the display are two charred kiddush cups — the only items she managed to retrieve from her burned-out home.

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