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Wildfires are impacting the Jewish community in Los Angeles—with one synagogue completely destroyed
Philissa Cramer reports for JTA.
Daniel Sher’s voice broke as he related the latest to members of his Pacific Palisades synagogue. Kehillat Israel had just sent a message saying that its building had so far survived the devastating Palisades Fire, but, the associate rabbi noted, so much had been lost.
“I cannot begin to describe the feeling that I am currently holding as I hear from so many beloved community members who’ve lost their home—while my family has found out that we’ve lost our home,” Sher said in a video he posted to Instagram on Wednesday afternoon. “Our community that we love so dearly is in disarray.”
Sher later shared a picture taken by his wife of what remained of the home they lived in with their three young children and pets. Only a fireplace and chimney could be distinguished from a sea of ashes—one of thousands of structures that have burned in the last two days as fires rage across the Los Angeles area.
At least one historic synagogue, the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, was completely destroyed by fire, but not before community members battled challenging conditions to remove the Conservative congregation’s 13 Torah scrolls.
#BREAKING Chabad of the Pacific Palisades has safely evacuated all the Torahs from their building.#PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/A5ngbIbigH
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) January 8, 2025
Los Angeles’ Jewish community—the second largest in the United States—has swung into action, attempting to provide relief and reassurance at a volatile time. Synagogues and Jewish community centers in safe areas are opening their doors to those who have fled their homes. A Jewish loan society is doling out funds to people who must start from scratch. And local Jewish eateries are fanning out to distribute free food to firefighters who have been battling blazes for days, with no end in sight.
“We have bagels. We have food trucks. We want to pull up to any safe zones to feed firefighters or anyone displaced from their homes,” Yeastie Boys Bagels posted on Instagram on Wednesday. Soon after, it announced that it would be distributing bagels at several evacuation centers. On Thursday, the pop-up shop announced, it would partner with Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen, known for its work in disaster zones, to do even more.
At least five people have died and more than 100,000 have been ordered to evacuate the fires, the worst in L.A. history, burning mostly uncontained in multiple locations across the region. Many others, lacking power and reliable water, have preemptively left their homes for areas with clean air and less risk.
Among those who have lost their homes are the Jewish celebrities Billy Crystal, Adam Brody and Eugene Levy. Meanwhile, a local newscaster encountered Steve Guttenberg, a Jewish actor who belongs to Kehillat Israel, as he sought to help people who had to abandon their cars in gridlock while evacuating the Palisades Fire.
Some of the new fires have cropped up in densely populated areas closer to the city’s core, including Hollywood. The city continues to experience high winds and low humidity, creating conditions for continued spread. Firefighters have reported a shortage of water in hydrants, leaving their hoses less than full.
While the region has always been prone to wildfires, the risk has historically been low in the winter. But this year, little rain has fallen, drying out vegetation fueled by last year’s historic rainfall, creating optimal conditions for a winter blaze that watchdogs say is a perfect example of the kind of “compound climate disaster” that is becoming more common.
“Now is the time to rally support for the communities being ravaged by these ferocious fires,” Rabbi Jennie Rosenn of Dayenu, a group that aims to mobilize Jews on climate issues, said in a statement. “It is also the time to use our radical imagination to envision and build a different future—one that is just, livable, and sustainable—free of this kind of rampant and devastating destruction.”
For now, many in the region are focused on immediate, practical concerns. The Jewish Free Loan Association announced $2,000 no-interest loans that do not require guarantors for all Angelenos with emergency needs, such as replacement clothing and hotel stays. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles compiled a list of more than a dozen Jewish institutions providing refuge and emergency assistance to people from across the region, while also looking ahead toward the long recovery process the region will require. And community members are taking stock of what has been lost, even as the risk remains for more devastation to come.
“I do know that we will continue to care for one another, to reach out to one another, and we will rebuild,” Sher said in his video. “So many of us are experiencing heartbreak. But when a community experiences heartbreak together, it means we can mend our hearts together as community as well.”
The post Wildfires are impacting the Jewish community in Los Angeles—with one synagogue completely destroyed appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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IDF Recovered ‘Partial Remains’ of Israeli Hostage Manny Godard, Murdered by PIJ on October 7
Manny Godard, who was kidnapped and killed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on October 7. Photo: Courtesy
i24 News – Israeli forces located and returned from Rafah remains linked to Israeli hostage Manny Godard, who was kidnapped and killed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on October 7, 2023, the IDF and Shin Bet confirm. Despite the return of the partial remains, Godard’s body is still being held in the Gaza Strip.
After an identification process conducted by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Israel Police, IDF representatives informed the Goddard family.
The IDF continues to make efforts to locate and fully recover his body.
The post IDF Recovered ‘Partial Remains’ of Israeli Hostage Manny Godard, Murdered by PIJ on October 7 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After Discussing Egyptian Truce Proposal, Israeli Government Makes Counteroffer
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a cabinet meeting at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem on June 5, 2024. Photo: Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Palestinian jihadists of Hamas have greenlit the Egyptian proposal to release five living hostages in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire, an unnamed Israeli official told local media Saturday. i24NEWS understands that the Israeli government will discuss the proposal during tonight’s cabinet meeting, although the prospects that the ceasefire would be in effect by the next few days is unlikely.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel will present a counteroffer after having discussed the proposals. This means that the apparent Hamas wish to have the ceasefire start as soon as Sunday, to coincide with the beginning of the Muslims holiday Eid al-Fitr, is unlikely to be accommodated.
The timing of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Ramadan fasting period, is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.
Hamas sees a ceasefire during Eid al-Fitr as a means to shore up its eroding legitimacy as the enclave’s ruler, and intends to crack down on those participating in the protests against it inside Gaza.
The post After Discussing Egyptian Truce Proposal, Israeli Government Makes Counteroffer first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Columbia University’s Head Steps Down After Concessions Made in Feud with Trump Over Funds
A pro-Palestine protester holds a sign that reads: “Faculty for justice in Palestine” during a protest urging Columbia University to cut ties with Israel. November 15, 2023 in New York City. Photo: Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has stepped down – a departure that comes one week after it agreed to significant changes amid a heated battle with the Trump administration over its federal funding.
The government this month canceled $400 million in funding for Columbia and threatened to withhold billions more, accusing the university of not doing enough to combat antisemitism and ensure student safety amid last year’s Gaza encampment campus protests.
Columbia made dramatic concessions last week so that it can negotiate to regain the funding, drawing harsh criticism that it had quickly caved to government pressure and not stood firm on academic freedom and free speech.
Board of Trustees Co-Chair Claire Shipman was appointed acting president with immediate effect, while the board searches for a new president. The university did not give a reason for the change.
“I assume this role with a clear understanding of the serious challenges before us and a steadfast commitment to act with urgency, integrity, and work with our faculty to advance our mission, implement needed reforms, protect our students, and uphold academic freedom and open inquiry,” Shipman said in a statement.
Groups representing Columbia University professors on Tuesday sued Trump’s administration over its effort to force the university to tighten rules on campus protests and put a Middle Eastern studies department under outside oversight, among other measures.
Columbia was at the center of demonstrations in the summer of 2024 that spread around the United States. Protesters demanded an end to Israel’s military assault on Gaza and urged their colleges to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
Rights advocates raised concerns about antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry during the protests and counter-protests.
The government has cracked down on foreign pro-Palestinian protesters and Columbia University Palestinian graduate Mahmoud Khalil was detained earlier this month by federal immigration officials.
US President Donald Trump has also threatened to withhold federal funding from other institutions over pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Separately, the New York Times reported late on Friday that two of the leaders of Harvard University’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, director Cemal Kafadar and associate director Rosie Bsheer, will be leaving their positions. It cited two professors with direct knowledge of the moves.
Harvard had no immediate comment.
Armstrong is returning to lead the university’s Irving Medical Center, Columbia University said.
The post Columbia University’s Head Steps Down After Concessions Made in Feud with Trump Over Funds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.