A Shabbat of Silence and Leadership in Surfside

A Shabbat of Silence and Leadership in Surfside

It was Friday night, early Shabbat morning—June 26, 2021—less than 48 hours after the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida. The air was thick with smoke, grief and uncertainty. That night, I was among a group of Hatzalah members and medical professionals from the Surfside Jewish community who had just completed a long shift at the Family Reunification Center, providing emergency medical care, writing prescriptions for los…