To Build and to Be Built: Crafting Resilience After the Fires

When Beth Abrams lost her Pacific Palisades home of 20 years in the Palisades fire, she lost the things that reflect her “journey through life,” she says. Gone are irreplaceable heirlooms, family photos, her father’s tallis, a kiddush cup gifted to Abrams at her bat mitzvah, and the priceless Judaica her children crafted in preschool. A committed knitter, Abrams also lost her collection of luxurious yarns and 25 years of painstakingly handknit creations. What’s more, among the ashes lies the last pieces of childhood art linking Beth to the memory of her son Jackson, who died from brain cancer when he was just 8 years old. Abrams is tired of hearing well-meaning people say “they’re just things.” 

Nevertheless, Abrams and her family, like so many who were displaced and devastated by their losses, are glad to be alive, and a number of them are crafting paths forward in a deeply Jewish way: through their art.

Knitting her life together again

Abrams, a Pacific Palisades native and avid knitter, is among this group. “Knitting has always served so many purposes for me,” she says. She first set out to master the skill after the loss of her son, Jackson, to cancer in 2008. “It’s a coping mechanism, a type of meditation, and a way to satisfy the creative part of my brain,” she explains. The best friend who taught Abrams the craft continues to be a beacon of hope. “She came to my rescue after the fire, bringing me so many clothes and knitting supplies,” Abrams says. 

In the wake of this new tragedy, Abrams has once again found solace in pairs of needles and balls of wool.  “It is a way of starting to get some normalcy back in my life — it’s comforting, no matter where I am. One of the first things I did after the fire was accept a lovely gift from a company called Clinton Hill Cashmere. Its owner sent me everything I needed to make a sweater. I didn’t start the project until a couple of weeks after the fire, but once I did, the familiarity made me feel a lot better. And other yarn shops in the area have also offered discounts and presents,” she says. The various knitting communities to which Abrams belongs have buoyed her spirits as well. “People I know and even those I didn’t have reached out with words of comfort and so many generous gifts. I was blown away by the support,” she says. 

Community-wide caring

Abrams is painfully aware that the inferno impacted countless people besides her family. “The fires wiped out other homes, schools, the gas stations, the grocery store — everything,” she says. She points to small businesses in the wider community that have also been generous with donations. Zibby Owens, owner of Zibby’s Bookshop, opened her Santa Monica store to distribute donations to those in need, and has started a campaign to rebuild four school libraries in Pacific Palisades. Artisan-based gift shop JHome, founded by Chabad of Malibu in December 2020, has turned an adjacent space into a “free store” where evacuees and those who lost their homes can come and get necessities at no cost. 

Michelle Geft, an artisan and educator who creates jewelry and educational resources for JHome, feels even more strongly connected with the store and her crafting following the fires. “From the moment JHome first opened, my work has had a place on its shelves, and it’s been an honor to be part of its journey. It is such a blessing to have a platform to share my creative outlets,” she says. Geft often incorporates a line from the Torah or Hebrew words in her jewelry, as a way of expressing her faith and giving her a feeling of connection to her community, “offering comfort and strength amid uncertainty.”

Geft, like Abrams, was affected by the disaster, although thankfully to a lesser extent. “The fires forced us to evacuate our home for two weeks. We were fortunate that our neighborhood was ultimately spared, but even after we were allowed to return, we remained without power for quite some time. It was an incredibly stressful and uncertain period,” she said. Much as Abrams turned to knitting to regain her Zen, Geft has found resilience in her jewelry-making and calligraphy. “I made sure to take some of my jewelry with me so I could continue working, even while displaced,” she recalls, and credits making art with helping her ”to relax and stay grounded during challenging times.” She looks forward to the thrill of seeing people buy her wares again soon. “There’s a special kind of joy in watching someone pick up a piece of jewelry or an educational resource I’ve created, and seeing their face light up with recognition or appreciation,” she says. 

The designer of JHome, Limor Pinz, experienced her own ordeal during the wildfires. An accomplished ceramicist, she almost lost her home and studio, both of which were situated just 40 feet from the fire line. Miraculously, however, they were spared. “This was a very traumatizing and stressful time for some of my friends and our community,” she says. And yet, her crafting continues to bring her joy, and she has used her works to spark some happiness in those who have lost so much: She has donated some Judaica items to a friend who lost everything. “My fellow artists have been affected by the fire to different degrees,” she says. “They’re giving back to the community in every way possible.” 

These stories of resilience are built upon deep Jewish roots, calling to mind the words of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory who wrote, 

“The early Zionists had a phrase: Livnot U’Lehibanot. To build and to be built.  The more you build the stronger you become – the more you yourself are built.” 

Tanya Singer leads Beautifully Jewish, a creative community that celebrates and enriches Jewish life. She also runs the Simchat Torah Challenge, a Jewish communal project inspiring thousands to read the weekly Torah portion. Singer has written for Tablet Magazine, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The New York Post, Vogue Knitting Magazine, , Modern Daily Knitting  and Kveller.