LA JOLLA, California — As wildfires continue to devastate the Los Angeles area, La Jolla’s Jewish community endured a scare of its own on Thursday afternoon due to a brush fire on Gilman Drive that burned multiple acres and prompted evacuation orders.
No damage to local Jewish institutions or community members’ homes was reported. The neighborhood is home to Congregation Adat Yeshurun, Congregation Beth El, Hillel at UCSD, and Chabad at UCSD.
Evacuation orders and warnings in the area were lifted at 4:10 p.m. on Thursday after firefighters had contained the blaze. Adat Yeshurun proceeded to hold afternoon services as usual. When the evacuation was ordered, the synagogue was able to get all of its Torah scrolls out of the building and to a safe location.
Also while the evacuation order was in place on Thursday, Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School and Beth Jacob Congregation sent messages of solidarity to La Jolla families and individuals who were affected by the fire, offering their facilities as safe spaces.
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Public relations executive Jacob Kamaras is a former publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.