Boca Raton, FL – South Florida Shuls Preparing For Matthew’s Fury

Boca Raton, FL – As South Central Florida braces for a brutal direct hit from Hurricane Matthew, Chabad centers from the Sunshine State through the Carolinas are hard at work securing Sifrei Torah and preparing for possible hordes of evacuees.

Just east of Boca Raton, Rabbi Ruvi New said that part of his community is under mandatory evacuation orders, reported Chabad.org. Many have left the area while others are protecting their homes.

“I was just on the phone with Home Depot to see if they have any more plywood, but they don’t,” said Rabbi New.

Extra bottled water left over from Rosh Hashana was distributed to congregants who were unable to get water in stores and Rabbi New said that his own family is well stocked with water, flashlights, batteries and non-perishable foods.

Noting that Matthew, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of up to 140 miles per hour, will be hitting during Aseres Yemei Teshuva, Rabbi New suggested that people use any down time appropriately. With Florida Power and Light going by the acronym FP&L, Rabbi New said that people could use the time to “Farbreng, Pray and Learn.”

Rabbi Zvi Konikov of Chabad of Space and Treasure Coasts in Satellite Beach, Florida has been packing up his sifrei Torah and other seforim and getting them out of the evacuation zone. Outdoor signs and other portable items were removed from the Satellite Beach Chabad House, both to spare them from Matthew and to prevent them from causing possible damage.

Nearby, other Chabad centers have been preparing for hurricane victims who may be in need of assistance for days or even weeks.

Rabbi Berl Goldman of the Chabad Jewish Student and Community Center in Gainesville, located 70 miles inland, said that he and his wife will be remaining in Gainesville to spend Shabbos with local college students.

Students were advised that if for any reasons they chose not to stay in their apartments or dorm rooms that they were welcome to stay at the Chabad center.

In Tampa Bay, Rabbi Yossi Dubrowski is offering shelter to those in need.

“People in Daytona have reached out to us and we are offering to host families from their area who need a place to stay,” said Mrs. Sulha Dubrowski.

Matthew has walloped Haiti with at least 108 dead and has continued to wreak havoc in the Bahamas on its way to the mainland United States.