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Hundreds of kashrut-observant Jews to Surfside. To their credit, the local
ate at the kitchen, but we also served officials agreed. When the IDF arrived,
thousands of others. Each day, we used the vibe at the disaster site immediately
golf carts to bring lunch boxes to the changed for the better; they were the
emergency workers at the site. only tactical army team at the site,
and their confidence and competence
When the building collapsed and we
began to realize the enormity of the boosted everyone’s morale. The US res-
situation, it struck me that we all have cuers said that the Israelis brought a
to join together and be strong for Surf- different approach, and within a few
side. So we made “Strong for Surfside” days, they had learned how to bolster
t-shirts and bumper stickers, and amaz- their efforts with tactics they learned
ingly, it went viral. Within a few days, from the IDF.
over a thousand volunteers had signed As Jews, seeing Israel and the US work-
up to help from all walks of life. People ing together was a massive source of
who were vacationing in Florida and felt One of the Israel Defense Forces National Rescue pride. Israel, of course, is the “little
guilty about being at the beach came to Unit at the site of the Surfside collapse (PHOTO: IDF) brother” in the US–Israel relationship.
volunteer. But when the US is suffering, it is incred-
Initially, we self-funded the project, ibly comforting to see how the “little
and then friends joined in to help. brother” is there to help. I think we all
Rabbi Sholom Lipsker and the Shul of understand this from personal experi-
Bal Harbour were a huge help as well. ence. When you are suffering, having
With their help, we were able to produce your family and close friends with
more than $10,000 worth of food every you is deeply comforting. It’s not that
day. the American personnel on the scene
were incapable of doing the job inde-
We tried to make the community center pendently. It’s simply friendship; when a
a home away from home for the families friend is suffering, you need your friend
of the victims and the first responders. to be there with you.
We made meals to order; Michael, who
lost his daughter in the collapse, liked The American first responders working
pastrami sandwiches, and the Patel at the scene bonded with the Israelis;
family only ate vegetarian. The com- they felt a powerful kinship with one
munity center is where the families IDF Col. Golan Vach with sacred Jewish books another. One day, while we were deliv-
came for updates, and the police and uncovered in the rubble (PHOTO: IDF) ering lunches, one of the American
other responders come to the center to captains approached me and asked:
recover after exhausting days at the site. “where can we get Israeli patches for
Many police officers and firefighters our uniforms?” I bought hundreds of
took the “Strong for Surfside” stickers patches with the flag of Israel and dis-
off the food boxes and added them to tributed them to the rescuers working
their uniforms. at the scene, who attached the patches
to their uniforms. One of the captains
gave me his patch in return. It was an
As someone at the disaster site extraordinary moment.
every day, what did it mean to you to It’s hard to describe how heartbreaking
see members of the Israel Defense the Champlain Towers collapse has been
Forces‘ Home Front Command on for our neighborhood. We all lost friends
the ground in Surfside?
in that building. But once again, the
Immediately after the collapse, many people of Israel showed that our nation
Jewish families that lost loved ones in Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady is a source of light and friendship to the
Surfside pleaded with local officials to Casey DeSantis with Joe Zevuloni at the disaster entire free world. They came to a place
bring the IDF search and rescue team site (PHOTO: STRONG FOR SURFSIDE) of darkness and brought light. n
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