Hidabroot Activist, Miami Resident, in Special Interview Ahead of the Hurricane: "Every Prayer Will Help Us"

Shlomi Fadlon, 49, married and father of three, resides in Miami. Fadlon has a long-standing connection with Hidabroot and has been active in the kiruv field in Miami for about 20 years, alongside his work in real estate. 'This story goes back to the early days of the organization, about 10 years ago,' he recounts. 'At that time, we were in Costa Rica, and we came across the book "The Transition" by Rabbi Zamir Cohen. As a result of the reading, many questions arose, and I thought that the best way to get answers to these questions would be from the author himself. That was how my initial connection with the Rabbi began. Since then, the Rabbi—and Hidabroot in general—comes here for lectures in Miami periodically. We have been blessed, with Hashem's help, to host the Rabbi in our home several times. The Rabbi comes here for lectures and also for seminars.'

Fadlon shares that the seminars with the Rabbi greatly strengthened the community, as did the discs, educational material, and Hidabroot websites in various languages. 'As a Hidabroot activist, I mainly distribute the discs and materials I have. The community's connection with Hidabroot is not a daily one, but they truly appreciate the Rabbi, and they come in large numbers when the Rabbi arrives. The Tzofiah converter that just arrived here is one of the things that greatly aids this connection, not only with us but with many communities across America. We don't expect Rabbi Zamir to come here every month... With the converter, you can enjoy lectures continuously and more accessibly, and that's a good way. And of course, also through the website. There are many people here who regularly visit the Hidabroot website, and there are also people who are very involved with the site, because without a doubt, it's the strongest Jewish site existing in the world.'

The hurricane "Irma" is moving towards your area now. How are you preparing for it? Is it even possible to prepare for something like this?

'Look, the storm is in the Atlantic Ocean, and according to all forecasts—it's a storm like we haven't seen in the past decade. A very, very large and powerful storm, category 5, with winds of more than 300 km/h. Anyone familiar with the phenomenon of a hurricane knows that inside the storm there is an eye. When you look into the eye—you see blue skies, and everything seems calm. In this storm, the eye alone has a diameter of about 40-50 km. The entire storm is about 500 km in diameter. That's just to give you an idea of the scale. According to the data, the storm is currently about two days away from us. We hope it will be redirected off course in some direction or even disappear entirely, which would be best... I believe prayers from the people of Israel can help here. The cries of hundreds of thousands of Jews in this area, every prayer, every request, every plea—these can certainly help protect all residents, including the Jews here.'

How many Jews are currently living in Miami?

'I don't have an exact number, but we're talking about several hundred thousand. Right now, it's not just about Miami—it's about all of Florida, and who knows where it will continue. Currently, in some places, there's talk of mandatory evacuation, called here "Mandatory Evacuation." Such evacuation can affect half a million residents and more. The evacuation itself creates problems, which is why we have decided not to evacuate until now. But now, they have also issued a notice here for mandatory evacuation.'

For those who nonetheless do not evacuate—will there be a sheltered area?

'No. There are no sheltered areas here; the houses are built differently than in Israel. They are not built with the strength we recognize in Israel; the construction here is quite weak and fragile. So when there are disasters of this type, the damage is immense. Now with mandatory evacuation, it's an entirely different story. It really is mandatory to leave, it's no longer an option.'

How many people are evacuating from their homes at this moment?

'It can reach a million people. The evacuation itself creates problems. It means huge traffic jams, it means getting stuck without fuel on the roads, and there has been no fuel at gas stations for a while. All of this creates additional danger on the way, on the roads. Now we, too, have to discuss the issue and decide if and how we evacuate.'

Recite a few chapters of Psalms for the success of the US residents

Tehillim 121 – A Song of Ascents

(1) A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? (2) My help comes from Hashem, the Maker of heaven and earth. (3) He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. (4) Behold, He who guards Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. (5) Hashem is your protector; Hashem is your shade at your right hand. (6) The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. (7) Hashem will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul. (8) Hashem will guard your going out and your coming in from now and forevermore.

Tehillim 57 – Psalms for Success
(1) For the leader; do not destroy; of David, a michtam; when he fled from Saul in the cave. (2) Be gracious to me, O Hashem, be gracious to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the destruction passes. (3) I call to Hashem, the Most High, to Hashem who fulfills His purpose for me. (4) He will send from heaven and save me; He rebukes those who pursue me; Selah. Hashem will send His love and His faithfulness. (5) I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords. (6) Be exalted, O Hashem, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. (7) They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves; Selah. (8) My heart is steadfast, O Hashem, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. (9) Awake, my glory! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. (10) I will thank You, Hashem, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. (11) For Your loving-kindness is as high as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. (12) Be exalted, Hashem, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.

Interview rewritten by: Debby Reichman