Yoni Kempinski(Arutz Sheva)
Three days after the tragic collapse of part of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Miami, efforts are ongoing to provide survivors with their needs – people who lost literally everything and are only grateful to have escaped with their lives.
Arutz Sheva spoke with Tzvia at The Shul of Bal Harbor, the synagogue where many of the residents of the collapsed building are members.
Nearby, in a huge warehouse, rows and rows of boxes of supplies are neatly stacked, containing literally everything needed to replace what has been lost in the disaster.
“People have been coming with truckloads of items,” Tzvia tells us, “with so many things that we had to turn some away, as we simply had no capacity to hold them. We have everything here – linens, food, clothes, first aid supplies – everything.”
Unfortunately, all these supplies are sorely needed by people whose apartments have crumbled to dust, who have been coming to The Shul, distressed and bewildered, trying to begin the painful process of piecing together their lives.
“On Friday morning, I got a call from someone on behalf of a family that lived in the building,” Tzvia relates. “I asked him what he needed, and he said: everything. They lost everything. That was really hard to hear.
“Another family – they lived in the building and were out that night. When they returned at around one in the morning, they heard weird noises, like banging and construction, and they went down to the building’s security office to ask what was going on.
“They were told that everything’s fine and they could go back to their apartment, but then, just minutes later, the building started coming down and they ran for their lives, with stones raining down on them as they fled.”
Help is still pouring in from all over the world, and crews from Israel are expected to arrive in the immediate future. “It’s all part of one big effort,” Tzvia says, “and it’s also online – we set up an emergency fund and we’ve already raised almost a million dollars. It’s so uplifting to see everyone coming together, and every donation is appreciated, no matter what amount.”
Tzvia also stressed that the assistance The Shul is offering is for all sectors regardless of religion.
“Everyone in need is welcome to come and take whatever,” she says.
