30 | JULY 1 • 2021

W

hile the wait con-
tinues for word
on those missing
after Champlain Towers South,
a condominium in the heavily
Jewish area of Surfside, Fla., par-
tially collapsed on June 24, area
Jewish groups stepped in to offer
support to the community and
to family members who have
arrived to the area seeking news.
As of Monday morning, nine
people had been confirmed
dead, and the number of people
unaccounted for had risen to
150, after 55 of the 130-plus units
collapsed without warning. The
missing include citizens of other
countries and residents of other
cities.
Israel Consul General to
Miami Maor Elbaz-Starinsky
posted on Twitter before dawn
on Friday: “We arrived at the
scene 24 hours ago and haven’t
left since. The team of

@IsraelinMiami is doing its
utmost to help the community,
the authorities and the families.
”
Earlier, he had posted a tweet
saying, “We are stronger togeth-
er. We’ll be around as long as it
takes, supporting and in solidari-
ty with this amazing community
and people. Our friendship is
solid and everlasting.
”
Starinsky also put up photos
of himself with members of
Hatzalah of South Florida, the
Jewish volunteer emergency-ser-
vices organization that has been
on seen since word got out that
the building collapsed.
President Joe Biden made
an emergency declaration on
Friday giving FEMA and the
Department of Homeland
Security the power to coordinate
disaster-relief efforts. He also
spoke with Florida Gov. Ron
DeSantis, who said that the he
and the White House are “step-

ping up to help people who are
in need.
”
Hatzalah is currently mandat-
ing a shift schedule to allow its
members to get some rest.
“
A lot of our people devote
themselves to the community,
and if we don’t limit their shift,
they will work day and night,
”
said Andre Roitman, a Hatzalah
of South Florida’s coordinator.
“We have 70 members in South
Florida and are maintaining eight
to 10 members at night and 20 to
25 responders during the day.
”
Roitman, who himself had
been working 20 straight hours
and has a missing friend in the
building, said Hatzalah’s role has
evolved over the last day and half,
divided by phases. In phase one
— in the immediate aftermath of
the collapse, as people were being
removed from the building —
they were triaging and providing
medical care.

Phase two the next morning
had Hatzalah treating or referring
people who were evacuated from
nearby buildings; some were
complaining they had missed
their daily medicine or were not
otherwise feeling well.
They are now in phase three,
said Roitman, with members
divided — some on site and oth-
ers stationed at the family reuni-
fication site, treating people there.
“
As the anxiety goes up and
family members crowd into the
center, you see people who are
fainting, having chest pains or
dizziness,
” he said. “Patient care
is focused not only on medical
side, but the mental and psycho-
logical well-being of the family
members.
”

AIDING RESPONDERS
The Jewish Federation of Greater
Miami and its partner orga-
nizations, Jewish Community

Searching
for Victims

Jewish community
and Israel respond
to condo collapse.

FLORIDA DISASTER

FAYGIE HOLT JNS

The collapsed portion of the
Champlain Towers South
condominium in Surfside, Fla.

MIAMI-DADE FIRE RESCUE/TWITTER/JNS