Carr fire burning near Redding, California Image by Getty Images

A synagogue sits in the path of the deadliest fire to rage through California so far this year. Its Torah, however, remains safe.

The Carr Fire has burned more than 116,000 acres near the Northern California city of Redding since July 26, the New York Times reported, destroying roughly 1,000 homes — including those of four Temple Beth Israel families.

Temple Beth Israel, in Redding, is in the evacuation zone. Even before an evacuation order was issued, Geri Copitch, who does digital outreach for TBI, reached out to members who live nearby in an effort to remove the Torah scroll.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

One member brought it to her home before evacuating with her family just a few hours later, Copitch wrote in an email. It came with them and is still in their safe-keeping.

TBI is the only synagogue for 70 miles. According to a Facebook post, a number of the 35,000 and 39,000 forced to evacuate their homes belong to the synagogue. A synagogue in Ventura sent up supplies, and a number of other synagogues throughout California have reached out asking how they can help, Copitch said.

“We are a very small community operating on a very small budget and ill-equipped to help members out financially,” she said. “But, we are a strong, tightly knit community. We will do all we can.”

Currently, six people have been killed in the fire, including two firefighters, according to the Times. Just 35 percent contained, it is already the seventh most destructive fire in California’s history.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount