Surfside mayor moved by Jewish girl praying outside collapse site
Charles Burkett recalled his encounter with a girl of about 11 or 12, sitting alone, as she read a Jewish prayer from her phone outside of Champlain Towers South, which fell Thursday morning.
By HALEY COHENPartial collapse of residential building in Surfside(photo credit: MARCO BELLO/REUTERS)
A young Jewish girl made a big impression on the mayor of Surfside, Florida. While families hold out hope as 150 people are still missing after an oceanside apartment building collapsed in the Miami suburb last week, the city's mayor said that seeing the girl, who possibly has at least one family member unaccounted for, praying outside of the collapse site has brought the tragedy home to him, ABC News reported. In a press conference on Monday, Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett spoke of the girl, who appeared to be about 11 or 12.ABC News reported that Burkett recalled kneeling down beside the girl, who was sitting alone, as she read a Jewish prayer from her phone outside of Champlain Towers South, which fell Thursday morning. Burkett said he wants to make an effort to see the girl again, perhaps at a reunification center, and to remind her that the city is doing everything they can to find her loved ones. In the same press conference, Burkett spoke of Israel's National Rescue Unit who arrived in Florida Sunday morning to assist search and rescue teams, who continue to dig for a fifth day.The death toll rose to 11 on Monday, with 150 people still unaccounted for. Surfside’s population of about 6,000 is one-third Jewish; at least 40 Jews are among the missing.
