Missing in Surfside: Moises Rodan

by Mordechai Lightstone – chabad.org

Known for his million-dollar smile and deep passion for Judaism, Moises Rodan graduated just last month with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Rodan was part of the warm cohort of South American Jews who attend UF, where he took up a leadership role at the Lubavitch-Chabad Jewish Center at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He served on its student board for three years, helped plan many programs, and attended Torah-study classes and services at Chabad.

“Moises is a light among his peers,” says Rabbi Berl Goldman, co-director of Chabad at UF.

Tapping into the “incredible bond and warmth” students from South America share, Rodan would often inspire his peers to take part in Jewish life on campus.

“There’s a true sense of refinement and honesty to Moises,” says Rabbi Aharon Notik, co-director of programming at Chabad at UF. “We’d go tabling together, and Moises was always excited to teach and share what he knew with others.”

The evening that Champlain Towers South collapsed, he was staying at an apartment on the building’s third floor that belonged to his parents, Ricardo and Diana Rodan.

Also missing in the building are other members of the extended UF South American Jewish community, Luis Sadovnic and Nicole Langesfeld, and Andres Levine.

The public is asked to pray for Moises Rodan and all other victims of the collapse.

This article was reprinted with permission from chabad.org