Posted on 10/28/2007 7:42:17 AM PDT by Alouette
At Camp Gan Israel, crews fighting devastating blazes in mountains east of Los Angeles find more than a source of water
Associated Press Published: 10.28.07, 09:36 / Israel Jewish Scene
Dark beards blowing, black felt fedoras flying off their heads, the four hassidic rabbis clapped their chests with open palms and cheered as the firefighting helicopter dipped its bucket into their camp swimming pool.
At the Camp Gan Israel, crews fighting devastating blazes in the mountains east of Los Angeles have found more than a source of water. The rabbis have been serving kosher meals, spiced with a dollop of their own spiritual musings.
Josef Broed, a Brooklyn native who leads the picturesque retreat center, didn't consider evacuating with the rest of his staff when the order came Monday.
"This is a holy place," said Broed, a rabbi in the Orthodox Jewish movement called Chabad. "God is going to watch over our place, and we will survive."
Instead of leaving, Broed hooked fire hoses to the hydrants at the 72-acre camp, fired up a generator for his main lodge and began welcoming firefighters who have come in waves, hurrying past the rustic synagogue, the cabins and fields to fight flames on the slopes below.
More than 300 homes in the area have been destroyed.
As Wednesday waned and the flames died down with diminishing winds, Broed approached a team of exhausted firefighters.
"What's going to be with supper?" he asked them. "You people must eat a good, hot supper. You have worked hard."
Then came the feast: chicken, salami, cold cuts, baked potatoes, rye bread and sodas.
"You people eat and enjoy, and I will talk," said Broed, a slim, short man with a gentle voice and a warm smile.
He didn't preach, but as rabbis will do, he spun a lesson.
"A flame always goes up, it wants something spiritual," he told them.
"A little bit of fire makes warm, and fire also represents enlightening," he said.
"When we are confused, when we don't know right from wrong, we are in the dark. Light is essential," he told them.
And then, as they finished their supper, he asked: "So, what's going to be with sleeping?"
'My Torah is all I need'
Late Tuesday, with about 20 firefighters tucked in for a rare bit of sleep in a safe bed, Broed contacted fellow rabbis around the state to see if anyone could help.
On Wednesday, three rabbis pulled into the camp. Broed ran to them, and the four men embraced and burst into a victory song and foot-stomping dance.
"Mazeltov!" they shouted to each other. "It's a miracle."
A helicopter buzzed low again, dipping its 100-gallon red "bambi bucket" into the pool.
"This is surreal," said Rabbi Levi Cunin of Malibu, whose own community was hit by wildfires this week. "Our mission as Chabad is to spread the well springs of knowledge, and here, from our pool in this beautiful place, we are able to help."
Although fires have burned other properties in the area, "ours is an oasis, being protected. And God willing, it should continue," Cunin said.
The rabbis said they will continue to support firefighting efforts however they can.
But Broed said he is no fool and already had packed the one thing he couldn't leave behind if forced to evacuate.
"In case, God forbid, something should happen, I have my Torah," he said. "That's all I need."
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
yikes! I thought it said, "Rabbits nourish crews with food, lessons." I was going to post a PETA alert!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Thank you for this very pleasant post.
Uplifting story though!
yes. and rabbits are rather light, too.
Great story. I hope their camp was spared.
This great PR for the Jews! Great story. Feed the troops and impart a little Torah given wisdom
Rock on! This is a wonderful story! I am a Christian, AND I understand through Scripture that God has not turned His back on the children of Israel.
I pray for the protection and preservation of this Rabbi, and all true Jews everywhere, until the day of Christ’s return. Will anyone join me in this?
Peace to you all!
William
Baruch HaShem !
Hmm, tempting the God(s) is not wise. If the winds shift, this man will feel (and look) like a chump.
I have never understood the mentality of people who think God loves them better when He spares them from some calamity that afflicts other people.
"Yes, the plane crashed and two hundred people including a little newborn baby died a fiery, agonizing death. But I walked away without a scratch. Praise God, IT'S A MIRACLE!"
-ccm
According to the news, some of the firefighters went for more than a day without food.
25:6 But what the land produces during the year of Shabbat shall be food for all of you – you, your servant, you’re your maid, your employee, anyone living near you, (Stern’s Complete Jewish Bible)
As it is, the land will be stripped of its soils and as hard as brass per Vayikra 26:19 :
Thank you for posting this thread.
There are some who discuss:shalom b'shem Yah'shua
See post 14.
Very nice.Thank you
They tried to distribute cereal to the adult workers, but were told, “Silly Rabbis, Trix are for kids.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.