With profound pain, I share this poem in memory of Jonathan Bernbaum z”l, the beloved son of Diane and Ed Bernbaum, and all other victims of the Oakland warehouse fire. Our Torah’s sacred stories of the averted binding of Isaac, Jacob’s ladder upon which angels not only ascended but also descended, and Israel being led by pillars of fire and smoke through the desert to the Promised Land, were all inverted in this terrible tragedy. Following the example of our tradition, this poem is a modern elegy. In grief, it turns back to the biblical text, seeking guidance and solace, or at least an outlet to express our sense of tragic loss and profound crisis.
— Rabbi Yonatan Cohen,
Congregation Beth Israel, Berkeley
The Oakland Warehouse Fire
In memory of Jonathan Bernbaum z”l and all other victims
Isaac’s altar
And Jacob’s ladder
And Israel’s pillar of fire and smoke
In the midst of night
As the altar burnt and the ladder went up
In flame
You too
Departed
But with no
Promised land reached
And without
Interruption
An angelic crew did
Ascend
While below we awoke knowing
How terrible is
This place