City of Angels

Newsletter January 13, 2025 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

The smoky air in my neighborhood from the fires cleared up yesterday, so I took a walk with my youngest. We held hands we talked and processed the evacuation and the news coverage we had seen, until we stopped in our tracks when we encountered a bobcat. It was majestic as it crossed the street in front of us, and I was in awe at its instinct to survive. Along with the caterpillar that I noticed later that crossed our street. (Video of it HERE).

This week, I have seen so much of the human instinct to survive. Those who just up and left town, even taking plane trips to Chicago. To those whose instincts called them to fight the disaster, to protect their homes: for instance, the news story of Victor Shaw, the man who had died with a hose in his hand trying to protect his home that he had lived in since 1965. We fight or we run. Everyone’s nervous systems over here are on high alert. 

But even on high alert, many are also responding to the needs of others. And when the community shows up for one another in this way, we are living out the ideals of the sages. They describe in the Talmud (Taanit 11a) that:

When the community is immersed in suffering, a person shouldn’t say: “I will go home and I will eat and drink and have peace in my soul.”

One person’s pain is our own, and we know it is incumbent upon us to help relieve the suffering. And so many of us are doing things to help.

Helping helps soothe us. Actions can be a powerful antidote to anxiety. It’s the clothing drives and food drives and prayers circles all organized recently.  It’s the beautiful outpouring of businesses like a Uhaul business I saw thoughtfully offer use of its trailers to help fire victims evacuate or move donated goods to collection centers. It’s the hot dog vendors who inspired a huge outpouring of food offerings. It’s the prayer circle in Laguna Beach orgainzed to send good energy to our communities. It’s the Eagles/Packers NFL game that held a moment of silence to recognize the pain we are enduring. See more of these efforts complied by the LA LGBT Center HERE.

I personally have checked on angelenos in our community and am sorry to say several of our KITS member families lost their homes and possessions in the fires. We are mobilizing to help them tangibly and spiritually. I have joined groups like Moms for Moms connecting parents to one another to make sure all kids are cared for, and have become part of the Abolitionist Sanctuary which is providing social justice oriented spiritual support for the evacuees.

Everyone in Los Angeles either is or knows someone whose home burned to the ground. Or school. Or house of worship. But we are held up by the best of one another, and by your good energy. We are moved knowing that you’re all rooting for us.

These fires aren’t just a matter of physical destruction, but also of a whole ecosystem of a neighborhood. Not only have daily routines been upended, but entire ways of life have been halted. We are grieving. And when people are in grief, Jewish tradition requires the community to band together to support those in acute need. This kind of widespread grief mandates an even larger response from those around the world. The greater Los Angeles community is showing up for each other in beautiful ways.

And that’s the thing about it: Los Angeles is a city that recently celebrated our amazing World Series win— we celebrate together. And here, now, we are also seeing that we can grieve and mend together. This is what it means to be a City of Angels. Thank you all for your support.

Together we grieve and mend. 

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred…

Rabbi Heather Miller,

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

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