Jewish community prays for miracles after condo collapse
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) - Numerous members of an Orthodox synagogue are among those missing after the collapse of a seaside condominium tower near Miami.
Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar, the founder of the Shul of Bal Harbour, said that his community is praying for miracles as rescue teams on Friday continued to search for survivors among the rubble of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside.
"It definitely needs miracles ... because the circumstances are very, very grim," said Lipskar, who is a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to the area.
Lipskar could not say exactly how many members of his congregation were missing. But he said that many members of Surfside´s Jewish community were unaccounted for.
"It´s a very large group of people, unfortunately," he said. "From the synagogue, everybody knows somebody. It´s like one big community, so (there were) a lot of people that lived in that building."
Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the Shul on Friday afternoon. Reporters were not allowed inside and the governor entered and exited through an underground garage.

Jewish faithful pray at the Shul of Bal Harbour after members of the community were reported missing in the partial collapse of a 12-story beachfront condo, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Shul is located about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) north of the building that collapsed early Thursday morning, killing at least four people. Officials said Friday that 159 people are still unaccounted for.
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Henao reported from New York City.
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An Orthodox Jewish man walks inside the Shul of Bal Harbour where worshippers were praying after members of the community were reported missing in the partial collapse of a 12-story beachfront condo, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Jewish faithful pray at the Shul of Bal Harbour after members of the community were reported missing in the partial collapse of a 12-story beachfront condo, Thursday, June 24, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami.(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

This photo provided by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, search and rescue personnel search for survivors through the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Fla., section of Miami, Friday, June 25, 2021. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday. (Miami-Dade Fire Rescue via AP)

In this aerial view the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo is seen, Friday, June 25, 2021, in Surfside. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Maria Fernanda Martinez, left, and Mariana Corderiro, right, of Boca Raton, Fla., stand outside of a 12-story beachfront condo building which partially collapsed, Friday, June 25, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami. The apartment building partially collapsed on Thursday.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)