L.A. Synagogue Takes In 23 Torah Scrolls From Shuls In Path Of Raging Wildfires
Image by Getty Images
By Aiden Pink December 8, 2017
Valley Beth Shalom took in Torah scrolls from other Jewish institutions in the path of wildfires in California. Image by Facebook
A Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles has taken in Torah scrolls from other Jewish institutions that are in the path of a major fire sweeping through the city.
Scrolls from Leo Baeck Temple, Stephen Wise Temple, the American Jewish University, the Skirball Cultural Center and the Milken Community Schools were relocated to Valley Beth Shalom for safekeeping.
Rabbi Noah Farkas of Valley Beth Shalom said there were 23 Torah scrolls being kept at his synagogue.
“It came together more or less in the moment,” Farkas told the Forward. “I woke up at 5:00 AM and the sky was orange and my house smelled like smoke. I started calling my friends to make sure they’re okay.”
Rabbis told the Jewish Journal of the treacherous journeys they had to take to save the scrolls.
“We went basically building-to-building, turned off the gas, power and took all the Torah scrolls down to Valley Beth Shalom,” said Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback of Stephen Wise.
“The fires were literally right on top of us,” Rabbi Ken Chasen of Leo Baeck added.
Farkas told the Forward that his synagogue had plans in place to care for congregants affected by the fires. “Anyone in the evacuation zones, we sent calls, emails and texts to make sure everyone was okay,” he said. “So once you know that your folks are being taken care of, who’s going to take care of the Torahs?”
Farkas pointed out that while the Jewish community can often be divided, “In times of crisis, that all goes out the window, the shared humanity comes to the fore, and what unites us is a beautiful sense of solidarity…It’s what we do for each other.”
Many Jewish synagogues and schools in the area have closed for safety, and some families had to be evacuated. Sinai Temple in Westwood was offering itself as a shelter for evacuees, the Jewish Journal reported.
Update 6:40 p.m.: This piece was updated with quotes from Rabbi Noah Farkas.
Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
