Hurricane Milton disrupts Yom Kippur plans for Jews in Florida

WINTER PARK, Florida — 

Many Jews worldwide volition people Yom Kippur successful fasting and supplication astatine their synagogues this weekend.

But for the faithful successful Florida, destructive Hurricane Milton has disrupted plans for observing the Day of Atonement — the holiest time of the twelvemonth successful the Jewish religion — that begins Friday evening and caps disconnected the High Holy Days that began with Rosh Hashana connected October 2.

Across the storm-threatened areas, rabbis and their congregants spent portion of the Days of Awe — the span betwixt Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur — protecting their homes and synagogues arsenic Milton churned disconnected the coast, spiraling into a Category 5 storm. Many — though not each — evacuated, heeding the voluntary and mandatory orders, and recovered safekeeping for their synagogues' Torah scrolls and themselves.

Milton deed Florida's Gulf Coast connected Wednesday arsenic a Category 3 cyclone, with damaging winds, dense rains and tornadoes. By Thursday, the tempest had moved eastward into the Atlantic Ocean.

Why this rabbi decided against evacuating earlier storm

Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz evacuated astir of his household up of the storm, but chose to thrust it retired with his son, besides a rabbi, astatine Chabad Lubavitch of Southwest Florida adjacent Fort Myers. The halfway is hosting radical displaced by the storm, including doctors, archetypal responders and aged who cannot evacuate.

It's important to beryllium "with the radical and for the people," and supply affectional and spiritual support, helium said arsenic the tempest approached.

Near midnight Thursday, the Chabad halfway and the remainder of the vicinity mislaid power, said Minkowicz, making them among the millions without it. The halfway was spared from the tempest surge, but homes and different buildings successful the country were not, helium said.

"Our pressing request is for Power truthful that we tin assistance our assemblage & clasp Yom Kippur services," Minkowicz told The Associated Press via email Thursday. "We're praying for this to beryllium resolved asap."

The halfway planned to big Yom Kippur observances careless of the storm. He said it was akin 2 years ago, erstwhile the beatified time followed the large hurricane, Ian.

"Yom Kippur is simply a time that you unfastened up your psyche to God and you wholly link with God," Minkowicz said. "When you spell done a hurricane, thing materialistic is not important. They're already successful that portion wherever they're wholly focused connected God."

Congregation Beth Am successful the Tampa Bay country besides mislaid powerfulness and plans to clasp Yom Kippur services online, said Rabbi Jason Rosenberg of the Reform synagogue.

"It's important to support perspective. Having a work online is not what anybody wants, but it could've been a batch worse," helium said. "This feels similar a blessing."

The tempest underscored 1 of Yom Kippur's yearly reflections.

An implicit question, helium said earlier Milton's landfall, is "If this was going to beryllium your past twelvemonth connected earth, however would you privation to enactment differently? ... When you've got a humanities storm, a perchance life-threatening and life-altering tempest bearing down connected you, that connection is truly present."

Milton disrupts Yom Kippur and October 7 commemoration

Like astir of her congregants, Rabbi Nicole Luna had evacuated aft helping unafraid Temple Beth El successful Fort Myers, and entrusting respective Torah scrolls to congregants should the threatened surge devastate the synagogue.

While the congregation braved Hurricanes Irma successful 2017 and Ian successful 2022, Milton's timing deed particularly hard, having already forced the postponement of community-wide commemoration of Hamas attacking Israel connected October 7, 2023. The warfare that followed is ongoing.

"It conscionable feels similar excessively overmuch for our hearts to transportation close now," Luna said from Miami up of the storm. "It's each precise heavy."

After the tempest passed through, Luna told her congregation that their synagogue had emerged undamaged, though it mislaid power.

She announced plans for a work via Zoom connected Friday evening, and in-person services Saturday.

"We anticipation by Saturday much postulation lights volition beryllium restored but delight lone travel if you tin safely navigate the roads," she said successful her message.

Luna said she was grateful for the "big outpouring of support" she received from chap rabbis crossed the East Coast of Florida, who were opening their temples for the holidays to evacuees and person emphasized they tin travel arsenic they are since fewer grabbed "holiday-appropriate clothing" successful the unreserved to flight Milton's fury.

The Chabad of Southwest Broward adjacent Fort Lauderdale is hosting respective evacuees from areas astir affected by the storm, ranging from a parent with her newborn to an aged couple, said manager Rabbi Pinny Andrusier. They are invited to walk Yom Kippur with the Cooper City-based group, including sharing kosher meals earlier and aft the time of fasting.

"We were spared, convey God," Andrusier said of the storm. "We've been capable to unfastened up our doors" for those successful the hurricane zone.

Synagogue skips holding Yom Kippur services

Hundreds of Jewish families connected Longboat Key, a obstruction land disconnected Sarasota Bay, won't beryllium capable to observe Yom Kippur successful their synagogue for the precise archetypal clip successful their 45-year history, said Shepard Englander, CEO of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee.

Access to the island, specifically the John Ringling Causeway, was closed up of the storm. The congregation decided it wasn't worthy risking Milton's mightiness for Day of Atonement services. They had celebrated Rosh Hashana successful their gathering contempt a fig of adjacent homes being damaged by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall past month.

Englander said helium and his household evacuated from their location connected a riverbank extracurricular Sarasota and were hunkered down astatine a friend's location inland. From there, helium was trying to marque definite assemblage members from Longboat Key and different temples that won't person services tin accidental their prayers and interruption their daylong Yom Kippur accelerated astatine a recently constructed league halfway successful Sarasota with nutrient items similar blintzes, bagels, pick food and smoked salmon.

Ahead of the storm, radical were scattered successful the portion astatine exigency shelters oregon staying with household oregon friends, Englander said.

"It's successful hard times that you truly recognize the powerfulness of community," helium said. "And this is simply a caring, tight-knit, generous Jewish community."