LOS ANGELES — As wildfires fueled by high winds swept through the Los Angeles area on Tuesday morning, the teachers and director of Chabad’s Palisades Jewish Early Childhood Center scrambled to evacuate as conditions grew worse. They began calling the parents of over 100 children, telling them to come and pick up their kids due to growing concerns about the fires that were first sparked in the Palisades Highlands not far from the center. 

“We decided to self-evacuate, we didn’t feel good about the smoke that was there,” said Rabbi Zushe Cunin. “We safely walked [the children] across the street through [the Pacific Coast Highway]. It was very congested, but we managed to get there safely and reunite the children with their parents.”

This swift decision spared many parents from potential anguish. Shortly afterward, Pacific Palisades residents found themselves trapped in traffic jams, with some abandoning their cars and fleeing on foot to reach safety. Later, dozens of vehicles were bulldozed to clear the roads for first responders, destroying some of them in the process.

Cunin managed to save the Torah scrolls, but the center’s storage structure was engulfed in flames, destroying 16 large menorahs that had recently been used during Hanukkah. The fire also destroyed several vehicles used to transport children and elderly. The main building, however, appears to have largely survived the blaze.

He spent the entire day and night calling and texting his congregants, ensuring they had evacuated and had a safe place to go. However, 250 people had yet to respond. Some, he told eJewishPhilanthropy, refused to evacuate.

“We had families with members up in the Highlands who weren’t able to get to them. It was very traumatic,” he said. “Some parents couldn’t reach their homes, where babysitters or caregivers were watching over their infants. It’s a scary situation.”

The Palisades Highlands, situated in the northern part of the Pacific Palisades, borders Topanga State Park and the Upper Santa Ynez Canyon. The road leading in and out has only one lane in each direction, making evacuation challenging.

Rabbi Amy Bernstein of Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Synagogue in Pacific Palisades lives in the Highlands. She was at home when the fire broke out. She wanted to leave immediately with her daughter but found herself facing a difficult decision: stay put or join the long line of cars attempting to flee.

“I wasn’t sure if I should leave the house because there was a gridlock, so I couldn’t go anywhere,” she explained. “The fire kept getting worse. Everyone was trying to leave, and then there were flames on both sides of the road. The only way out is the road through the Highlands, where the fire started. Some people panicked, abandoned their cars, and took their keys, creating a nightmare for fire engines trying to get to the Highlands and for us trying to get out.”

Bernstein stayed put as the fire continued to spread, consuming more and more buildings and houses in the area. Stores, restaurants and a CVS pharmacy were destroyed. At 3:30 p.m., after a bulldozer cleared abandoned cars from the road, she decided to attempt the drive, even if it meant spending hours in traffic.

“It was better than waiting for the fire to shift and finding myself unable to get out,” she told eJP.

Meanwhile, members of her congregation managed to reach the synagogue on Sunset Boulevard and rescue the Torah scrolls, taking them to their homes in the San Fernando Valley. Fortunately, the synagogue itself appears to have been spared, but at least one nearby church was destroyed.

Bernstein sought shelter with friends in Santa Monica and watched the devastation unfold on the news. “It’s my understanding that all the schools burned down, so families are going to be completely disoriented as they figure out what to do with their children. All our stores and businesses in town have been destroyed. We’re holding a meeting in the next hour to address the needs of congregants — both those without homes and those displaced.”

As of Wednesday night, at least five people have been killed in the fires, some 25,000 acres have burned, more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed and at least 37,000 people were ordered to evacuate Pacific Palisades. The fast-moving fires, whipped up by strong Santa Ana winds, caused additional fires in Sylmar and Altadena and destroyed the historic 84-year-old Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center overnight. The fire has since spread to Hollywood Hills. 

The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles’ president and CEO, Rabbi Noah Farkas, has also been working with his staff to support evacuees. “We have seven staff members who were evacuated,” Farkas said. “We’ve been through this before. We’re coordinating with elected officials, community leaders, emergency response teams and the school district, including the fire and police departments.”

Farkas said that the federation has received calls from Jewish residents seeking help. “When people call, we make resources available or direct them to the right place,” he said. “This is just the first 48 hours, and everyone is focused on the immediate crisis, but we also need to think about the next 48 weeks. This is the beginning of a long process, and the federation is built for this. We’re staying focused on building what needs to be built and helping people in both the immediate and long term.”

Ruth Rubin, a Pacific Palisades resident of over 20 years, left her home on Tuesday morning with her husband and golden retriever, unsure if she would ever see it again. She still doesn’t know.

“I’m beyond devastated. As soon as the wind picked up, I told my husband, ‘We’re going to have fires,’” Rubin said. “When I realized our neighborhood would be affected, I packed my car, took the essentials and left.”

Rubin is now staying with her daughter’s family, holding on to hope that her house is still standing, though the outlook is grim. “My neighbors, who left after me, said that some houses in our neighborhood burned down,” she said. “I haven’t stopped crying since yesterday. Many friends have offered to help — we have a wonderful community here —  but I’m heartbroken over what’s happening. It will take years to rebuild.”

Both Cunin and Bernstein were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the Jewish community in Los Angeles and across the United States.

“So many congregations have reached out to help — 5,000 members of the Chabad network, as well as regular synagogues,” said Cunin. “I’m sure there will be a lot of needs as things evolve. We did everything we could to contact all the members of our community. Some people can afford a hotel, and some can’t, so we’re doing everything we can to assist.”

Rabbi Chaim Menz of Chabad of Bel Air was one of the first to call. “I reached out to the rabbi in Pacific Palisades and told him that if anyone needs a place to sleep, we have rooms here. As of last night, we have six people staying at the Chabad house, and some just needed to charge their phones or take showers,” he said.

Cunin’s house was spared in the fire, but many members of his community lost theirs.

Despite the devastation, the rabbi expressed gratitude, particularly to the firefighters risking their lives. 

“They evacuated a husband and wife in their 90s who couldn’t manage to leave on their own, as well as another elderly man who was the only one left in his building,” he said. “The most important thing is that our people are safe, and I’m hopeful that those I couldn’t reach are also safe. This is a powerful reminder that everything can flip on a dime. Baruch Hashem, we are fine.”

The Wildfire Alliance has projected this to be the most devastating fire in Los Angeles history, with estimated economic losses surpassing $50 billion.