Among the thousands of residents evacuated from their homes in the deadly Southern California wildfires, Rabbi Ron Li-Paz of Valley Outreach Synagogue in Calabasas counts himself among the lucky ones.
“There are 12 houses on our street. Nine are gone and ours is one of the three remaining,” said Li-Paz, who lives in Malibou Lake. “The view from my house — God willing, our house remains standing — from every window, I just see devastation. It’s like a war zone. Everything was leveled to the ground.”
Li-Paz described the scene as if it were an apocalyptic film: “Cars are melted in front of our house, and our chickens are pecking on the hill. We have sheep and goats, and we thought they’d be dead or gone, but they’re here. For now, we’re just counting our blessings.”
Li-Paz was out of town when the fires broke out on Nov. 8, but his 20-year-old son was at home preparing to evacuate. “I raced to get to the house, and in the middle of the night [my son] was organizing photo albums, baby pictures, documents, everything we needed, so when I got home I could just help him.” Li-Paz said.
When a sheriff’s deputy knocked on their door on Friday, Nov. 9, at 4 a.m., they were ready.
“The view from my house — God willing, our house remains standing — from every window, I just see devastation. It’s like a war zone.” – Rabbi Ron Li-Paz
When asked what advice he had for others, Li-Paz said it was really important to follow the directions of public safety officials. “I see people bragging to each other online that they’re getting around them,” he said. “It’s silly to make ourselves possible victims. Trust that they are taking care of us and that’s all that they’re doing.”
He also urged people to stay in touch as much as they possibly can. “I think what community can offer is a really important piece of this,” he said. “A sense that even when we’re dealing with losses and tragedy we’re not alone. That’s obviously one of the great Jewish contributions to these moments in our lives.”
This is the second time Li-Paz and his family have gone through an evacuation due to a wildfire threat. The first was when they lived in Oak Park 15 years ago. That experience helped him know what was important to grab. “Family first, then your pets,” he said. “We left all these things behind that seemed to be so important, until you realize you have a few minutes to grab everything that really matters. Take the people you love and that’s all.”
