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

