Minyan Grows Despite Hurricane

By COLlive staff

Tropical Storm Isaac is approaching the state of Florida and Emergency Management Officials encourage all Floridians to stay informed and finalize emergency preparations.

There had been some minor power outages in South Florida as Isaac’s feeder bands bring rain and wind to the Tampa area, Governor Rick Scott said.
In Key West, a larger-than-usual minyan showed up Sunday morning for Shachris services at Chabad Jewish Center of the Florida Keys on Trinity Drive.

The Shliach Rabbi Yaakov Zucker was marking his mother’s 17th yahrtzeit and local Jews made it a point to attend the otherwise daily minyan to honor Esther bas R’ Yoel, of blessed memory.

If the weather was worse, Zucker says he would have traveled to Miami and said Kaddish there, “but I figured it would be better to have a minyan here in town to daven for the safety of everyone.”

Zucker told COLlive: “The town is closed down. We stayed in town with at least half of the residents to be here to help the community with whatever they need.”

He said he and his wife Chanie Zucker fear mostly of flooding. “Electricity is on and off and we have a second floor just in case, which we had to use already in hurricane Wilma in 2005.”

Individuals with questions or concerns can call the Florida Emergency Information Line at 1-800-342-3557 or visit FloridaDisaster.org