By COLlive reporter
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai, who is visiting Surfside, Florida, to offer support in the aftermath of the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building, has a grim prediction about the search and rescue mission.
“There is no hope, it’s over,” said Shai, who served as spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the gult War, said in an interview with i24News. “They are only continuing to dig to find the remains.”
When Shai landed in Florida on Sunday, he went straight from the airport to the scene of the disaster where he met with Governor Ron DeSantis and the local and global rescue teams.
“I expressed my deep sadness and message that the State of Israel is here to help in any way we can,” he reported.
Joined by Israel’s new consul general to Miami Maor Elbaz-Starinsky, Shai went to The Shul of Bal Harbour, the massive Chabad center that is the center of the Jewish community in Surfside.
He met there with its spiritual leader Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar, U.S. Senator Rick Scott, Florida State Senator René García and others for a briefing on the situation. He later joined the minyan and received an aliya to the Torah.
Shai said the Israeli aid delegation “will cooperate with local authorities in life-saving efforts by mapping out the destruction site, assisting the Jewish community in identifying victims and survivors, and supporting local forces.”
Mayor of Miami-Dade County Daniella Levine Cava met with Shai as well and said she was grateful that he “stopped by today to offer his support — we know how much this means to our entire Jewish community affected by this tragedy.”
As of Tuesday night, the death toll rose to 12 people and The total number of people unaccounted for was 149. Some 125 people who were at or meant to be in the building this past Thursday during the collapse were accounted for.
And not everyone agreed with Shai’s assessment.
Col. Golan Vach, commander of the Israeli National Rescue Unit, told CNN: “So there is still hope. Until one week, I have a solid hope that we will find someone. After one week, it’s minor.”
VIDEO: Nachman Shai speaks to i24News
What is the purpose of his trip? To offer verbal support? And tell people to give up hope? I don’t really understand what this is about. What does this have to do with him.
Israel offered support, and sent people in to dig. That I understand. But what is the point of this guy? Perhaps someone can explain what’s actually going on here.