June 24, 2021, just over three years ago, 98 people tragically lost their lives when the Champlain Towers building collapsed in Surfside. Luckily, Steve Rosenthal survived, owing to his quick thinking and sheer luck. The 72-year-old advertising professional vividly recalls the moments when his world literally crumbled around him.
"I heard what I thought was the largest thunderclap I ever heard in my life — times 100," Rosenthal said, describing the initial moments of the collapse. "Then I felt the bed shake and the room begin to move. Five seconds later, debris starts to fall from the ceiling on my face."
As reported by WLRN, the destruction was swift and devastating. Rosenthal's escape route quickly became a maze of dust and debris. "I go to the front door to see what's going on. When I open the door, there's like a plume of smoke, gas, whatever that was, just shoots at me, just rushes into the apartment, literally knocks me back," he recounted.
With escape routes blocked, Rosenthal found himself trapped on his balcony, watching helplessly as first responders arrived. "We're seeing all the fire rescue coming by the dozens," he said. "Even when you're on the cherry picker, you don't know the building is going to fall on you at that time."
The destruction was not limited to the physical structure. Rosenthal's entire life plan was upended in moments. "Before this collapse, we had an assessment. And we were going to put $15 to 16 million into the building for improvements," he explained, highlighting the cruel irony of the situation.
Describing the aftermath, Rosenthal said, "I was like a zombie." The sudden loss of not just his home but all his possessions left him reeling. "I just got my dust pan and broom last week. I'm still waiting on my bucket for my mop. It's very expensive, Your Honor," he told the judge overseeing the case, underlining the unexpected costs of starting over from scratch.
Despite the trauma, Rosenthal found a silver lining in the recovery of his religious items from the rubble. "The police called me that they found something of mine... We found your prayer shawl and tefillin."
The recovery of these religious items held particular significance for Rosenthal. "That's the prayer shawl and tefillin that my parents gave me at my bar mitzvah," he explained. "So I've had that for almost 60 years."
The miraculous recovery of these items amid the devastation has had a profound impact on Rosenthal's faith. "The miracle that I was saved and to find my tallis and tefillin ... that's some message," he reflected. "My family was Orthodox, my father was very Orthodox. I did go to a yeshiva as a kid. So I grew up knowing all of this, but I got away from it," he shared. "I'm not turning religious ... I don't think, tomorrow or anything, but I'm closer to God now, that's for sure."
The discovery of his tefillin has led to a renewed commitment to religious practice. "I go to services at the shul on Brickell — the Rok Family Shul. I'm the first one there at 7:30 a.m.," Rosenthal said.
As Rosenthal grapples with the challenges of rebuilding his life post-disaster, including financial uncertainties and the trauma of his narrow escape, his recovered tefillin serve as a tangible link to his past and a beacon for his future. "I haven't found why or what my purpose is here," he mused. "But it's got to be something. I will find it. It'll come to me one day. It'll just hit me."
