Thursday morning, a portion of a residential building collapsed in Surfside, Florida, a town near Miami. We are deeply saddened by this tragic situation and pray for healing and safety for the entire community. We are grateful to the first responders and those involved in the rescue efforts.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by this disaster.

Please view the message below from our partners at Jewish Federations of North America for ways you can help.

L,Shalom,

Rick Rosenberg
Shalom Austin Board Chair

Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus
Shalom Austin CEO

Tragedy in Miami

Like everyone, we are following the news from Miami with horror and sadness. We pray that the rescuers will find as much success in their efforts as possible, that those who have been injured will have a swift and complete refuah shlema, and that all the families of the lost and injured may be comforted.

We send our love and support to our Jewish Federation of Greater Miami family, and especially to the Miami Federation Director of Women’s Philanthropy, Ofi Osin-Cohen, who lived in the Champlain Towers and thankfully survived the collapse together with her husband. You can watch Ofi’s moving comments on the Today Show this morning here.

The Miami Federation has established a fund to assist the survivors. As always, the Federation will take no administrative costs from the fund, so 100% will go to meet these tragic needs. You may access the fund here. Unfortunately, this is yet another example of the indispensable role that our Federations play in supporting and protecting our Jewish communities in North America.

The shortest recorded prayer in Jewish history was Moses’ poignant cry to G-d when he learned that his sister Miriam had been stricken – “el na refa na la – O G-d, pray heal her!” So we pray that G-d bring healing and comfort to the Miami community at this terrible time.

Mark Wilf, Chair
Eric Fingerhut, President & CEO