Cantor Ruth Berman Harris lights candles to celebrate Seder with congregants of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena, Calif. The Associated Press

PASADENA, California — Aty Rotter lost her family home and her spiritual home in the ravenous fire that scorched a large swath of Los Angeles County earlier this year.

The house her late father built in Pasadena is gone to the fire that charred more than 21 square miles. So is the 104-year-old Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center where she has worshiped since she was a child.

The January fire destroyed the menorahs she lit for Hanukkah and the growing collection of dreidels she planned to pass down to her granddaughters. Also lost forever are the candlesticks and brassware her family carried while fleeing Nazi Europe and the Seder plates she would have used for the Passover meal.

“Only their spirit and memory of those things remain with me now,” Rotter said.

A sobering Passover

She’s not alone. Thirty of the synagogue’s 435 families lost their homes and even more were displaced. As the major Jewish festival approaches, it’s hard not to see the Passover story reflected in this post-fire reality, said Melissa Levy, the temple’s executive director.

Passover, which begins at sundown Saturday, commemorates the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, including their 40-year journey through the desert. It is celebrated with a special meal called a Seder, the eating of matzo or unleavened bread, and the retelling of the Exodus story.

“The synagogue itself and our people are doing a lot of wandering right now, and having to focus on togetherness and resiliency is a theme that hits home harder than usual this year,” Levy said.

The congregation has received overwhelming support from the community. First United Methodist Church opened its doors so they could hold weekly Shabbat services, their Passover Seders will be held at Pasadena City College and a synagogue member is sponsoring the second night’s dinner.

“The outpouring of support we’ve received reminds us that we’re not alone and we’re not wandering alone,” Levy said.

While the sanctuary adorned with stained glass panels completely burned down, all 13 Torah scrolls were saved, including a Persian scroll retrieved by a congregant from Iran.

Speaking about trauma, loss

Cantor Ruth Berman Harris, who leads the congregation in lieu of a full-time rabbi, said she channeled her Polish grandmother who survived the Holocaust as she and others fought to save the sacred scrolls from the approaching flames.

“When I heard the fire was getting closer to the synagogue, that was no time to feel. It was time to step up and take action,” she said.

Time and again, Jewish people “have been forced to pack up and move, go somewhere else and experience something new,” often not of their own volition, Harris said. The Haggadah, a book that leads participants through a Seder, serves as a reminder of Jewish resilience. But the trauma of the fire is recent and raw.

“It’s not easy to talk about this sense of loss when it just happened,” she said.

A way to repair and replenish

Emily Kane Miller, a board member at the Kehillat Israel synagogue in Pacific Palisades, founded an organization called Heart and Hamsa with actress and activist Noa Tishby. It’s a free registry and marketplace for Judaica for Jewish families affected by the wildfires. The site has received many donations, including items from precious Judaica collections.

Alisa Bromberg, who lost her Pacific Palisades home, said she has felt a sense of tranquility after bringing the Judaica to her rental. She deliberately picked items that appeared old or used.

“The new things are lovely, but they did not speak to me in the same way that the older ones did,” she said. “So much of Jewish history is storytelling. I feel so empowered by the people who came before me.”

In her home, Bromberg had a wall display dedicated to her ancestors. Since that burned down, Bromberg has created a new one decorated with Seder plates she recently received.

“The wall talks to me and I feel like it protects and envelops me,” she said. “With this Judaica now in my home, I have felt relief for the first time in three months.”

The fire is part of her Jewish story and her history. That’s why nestled in the display are two charred kiddush cups — the only items she retrieved from her burned-out home.