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Atty Rotter lost his family home and spiritual home earlier this year amid a greedy fire that burned a large strip of Los Angeles County.
Built in Pasadena more than 60 years ago, his late father’s house fell into burnt fire over 21 square miles (54 square kilometers). So is the 104-year-old Pasadena Jewish Temple and Centre, which she worshipped since her childhood.
The January fire destroyed Menorah, which she lit up for Hanukkah, and the growing collection of Dreidel, whom she had planned to hand over to her granddaughter. Also lost forever the candlesticks and brasswear her family carried while escaping Nazi Europe, as well as the cedar plates she used for the Passover meal this weekend.
“Only their minds and those memories remain in me now,” Rotter said. “Rememberings from when I used them and who was with me?”
A calm Passover
She’s not alone. Of the synagogue’s 435 family members, 30 have been lost and more evacuated. With the main Jewish festival approaching, it is difficult to see Passover stories reflected in this post-fire reality, according to Melissa Levy.
The Passover, which begins at sunset on Saturday, marks the liberation of the Israelites from ancient Egyptian slavery, including a 40-year journey through the desert. It is celebrated with a special meal called the Cedar, eating bread from Mazzo or Riabrene, and telling the story of Exodus.
“The synagogue itself and our people are wandering a lot right now. Focusing on unity and resilience is a more intense and hard-going theme this year,” Levy said.
The congregations receive overwhelming support from the community. The first United Methodist Church opened the doors to allow it to continue to hold its weekly Sabbath services, with Passover Cedar being held at Pasadena City College, with members of the synagogue sponsoring Second Night dinners.
“The pouring of support we received reminds us that we are not alone and that we are not wandering alone,” Levy said. “It reminds us that we are all part of one human family and that the purpose of religion is to make ourselves the best, to repair the world and take care of each other.”
All 13 Torah scrolls were preserved while the sanctuary decorated with stained glass panels were completely burned out.
Talk about trauma and loss
Cantor Ruth Berman Harris, who leads the congregation in place of the full-time rabbis, said she led her Polish grandmother who survived the Holocaust as she and others fought to save the sacred scroll from the approaching flames.
“When I heard the fire approach the synagogue, it wasn’t the time to feel it. It’s time to step up and take action,” she said.
Again and again, Jews have been forced to pack their bags and move around, go somewhere else and experience something new,” Harris said. Haggada, a book that guides participants through the sedar, is a reminder of Jewish resilience. However, fire trauma has been raw recently.
“It’s not easy to talk about this feeling of loss when it happens,” she said. “But it’s Passover, so I need to talk about it.”
Harris is preparing for this task, even though he is dealing with his trauma. She changed the background of her Apple Watch from fire – a reminder of “Inner Fire that we carry, connected to God” – in the water.
Levi said the community is currently using three locations. One serves as a place to pray, the other as an office quarter, and a third houses the school. They are looking for rental spaces that can settle down while planning major fundraisers to integrate and rebuild all their programs.
Replace lost sacred items
As Passover approaches, this theme of replenishment and reconstruction continues with various efforts in the local Jewish community, replacing sacred items known as Yudaika, lost in the fire. Last month, Los Angeles’ Leo Beck Temple hosted an event featuring thousands of new Yudaika items that have been made available to Rotters and others who have been affected by the Eton and Palisades fires for free.
Rotter said he found a cedar plate, matzo and cala bread and a cover of Kidsch cups. It holds wine or grape juice used in sanctified prayers to mark the beginning of a Jewish holiday.
Congregation Rachel Neumann said that while many of her Yudaikas have been ruined in the fire, her Altadena home has survived.
“I have lost Shabbat items and various heirlooms, including those from my late father,” she said with emotion. “It was so beautiful to me to see this room full of Jewish ritual items donated by individuals and Yudaika’s companies. It felt so special to look after them like this.”
How to repair and refill
Emily Kane Miller, director of the Kehirat Israel Synagogue of Pacific Parisades, founded an organization called actress and activists Noat Tishby and Hart and Hamsa. This is a free Jewish registry and market for Jewish families affected by wildfires. Her synagogue survived the fire, but Miller’s house did not. She lost a heirloom that was handed over by her great grandmother, a Holocaust survivor.
The site has received numerous donations, including many items from the valuable Judaica collection.
“We received hundreds of Judaka items, which represent hundreds of stories,” Miller said. “There are hundreds of miracles that have brought those pieces to influenced families, and that gives them an opportunity to echo the miracles each time the family uses the item.”
It can be difficult and even painful to hand out items that have been passed down for generations, but it is also “a kind and loving act of a time of struggle,” Miller said. She said launching the site with Tishby helped her deal with the low moments of her life.
“I wasn’t just losing my home,” Miller said. “My whole community has burned out. It’s my medicine at this moment that I can understand and feel the sacred things of our world.”
Arisablomberg, who lost Pacific Palisades at home, said he felt a sense of tranquility after taking Yudaika to rent. She purposely chose old or used items.
“The new thing is lovely, but they didn’t talk to me like the old ones,” she said. “A lot of Jewish history is storytelling. I feel very empowered by the people who came before me.”
In her home, Bromberg had a wall display dedicated to her ancestors. Since it burned out, Bromberg has created a new one decorated with cedar plates he recently received.
“The walls talk to me and I feel it protects and envelops me,” she said. “This Yudaika is at my house, so it was my first time in three months that I felt relieved.”
Now, fire is part of her Jewish story and her history. So there are two Charred Kiddush Cups surrounded by displays. This is the only item she was able to retrieve from her burnt-out home.
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