Despite Losing His Home in the LA Fires, Daniel Shemtob Isn’t Giving Up Hope

It was 11:06 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7. Daniel Shemtob, an entrepreneur who owns The Lime Truck food truck and Snibbs footwear, was on a weekly work call from his home in the Palisades.

Suddenly, his wife Elyse told him, “You have to come outside.”

They looked at the fire on the mountain near their home.

“It was all the way at the top of the hill,” Daniel told Aish. “I said, ‘Oh, I don’t think it’ll hit here.’”

Then he saw their neighbors loading their car with artwork; they packed up and left within 10 minutes. That was what convinced Daniel, Elyse, who is seven months pregnant, and his in-laws to leave.

“We got out of there 20 minutes later,” Daniel said. “No one grabbed anything. We had two bags by the front door from our recent family trip and we didn’t even grab those.”

Getting out of the Palisades, the family got caught in a traffic jam. Thankfully, they made it out in time before the fire got to them. But their house burned down, taking their dreams of being near family away in an instant.

“My wife’s family was building a house there,” Daniel said. “My brother lived there, and his house burnt down too. The dream was to live there and start a family and have everyone close to each other. I thought it was beautiful. Now, it won’t happen.”

Losing His Dream

The Los Angeles wildfires destroyed thousands of structures, including homes and businesses. Many neighborhoods in the Palisades were completely burnt down, with few homes remaining.

Daniel, who is from Orange County, California, had only moved to the Palisades nine months ago. He and Elyse had started setting up their baby girl’s nursery and creating a loving home for their new baby, their first.

Inside the home was also his late mother’s belongings. Along with Daniel’s father, his mother had escaped Iran during the revolution and came to America. She died four years ago, and Daniel and his brother – who also lost his home – split up her belongings.

“We lost all of it in the fire,” he said. “They are physical things but they are meaningful. That part really messed me up.”

Every morning, I woke up thinking about what I should have grabbed and done differently.

For the first few days after the fire, Daniel was angry and in denial, ruminating on everything that had been taken from him.

“I went through all the emotions,” he said. “I couldn’t believe we lost this home that I loved. Every morning, I woke up thinking about what I should have grabbed and done differently. Why didn’t I take anything? My insurance got dropped in December. Why didn’t I deal with it? Every detail depressed me. I thought about everything I loved and lost and how irreplaceable some of those items were.”

However, the Friday night after the fire, Daniel was around someone who was moping and depressed, though they didn’t even lose their home.

“I realized it’s so subjective how you deal with this,” he said. “Grief is grief, and one person’s reaction is not more correct than another’s. I couldn’t change what happened, but I could change how I reacted to it.”

Daniel started thinking about all his blessings.

“I have family that’s amazing and has been super supportive and taking care of me,” he said. “My wife found our condo and set it up while I was out. That’s really a big blessing. I know there are people who don’t have anything right now. It’s my responsibility to give back to them.”

Responding to the Tragedy by Giving Back

Instead of sitting around and thinking about what he’d lost, Daniel kicked into action within days of the fires. In Hebrew school, he’d learned about doing acts of chessed, the action of giving without the expectation of receiving anything in return.

“That was something that resonated with me,” he said. “It was innate to my childhood.”

Daniel started feeding the first responders and evacuees free food from his food truck. He’s now traveling throughout LA, making adjustments at the last minute since evacuees and first responders are sometimes to moved to different locations.

“I post on social media where I’m going,” Daniel said. “The food is nourishing, and it’s fun to stand outside of the truck and chat with people and tell them my story. I told my staff that at every touchpoint, we have a chance to make someone’s day better. One guy who lost his house told me that the first time he smiled all week was when he ate our food.”

Daniel was impressed by the dedication he saw from the first responders, who were working around the clock for Angelenos.

“They were working 16 hours a day and then sleeping in tents at night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena,” he said. “That has to be rough.”

In addition to giving out free food, Daniel is also providing free footwear through his shoe company to those in need – and will continue to do so for the next two years.

“I’m giving people $350 and a pair of shoes,” he said. “The media is focusing on the fires now, but that will go away at some point. People won’t be done rebuilding their lives. I don’t want to lose that energy of supporting those people. We still have a responsibility.”

Hope for the Future

Daniel may have lost his home and possessions, but he hasn’t lost his hope.

“I love this city,” he said. “It’s a very special place. Seeing it come together over the past couple of weeks, especially from those in hospitality, it feels like the city has never been more connected.”

Plus, he has fatherhood to look forward to.

“I have no idea what it’ll be like or any expectations, but I know it’s going to change who I am as a person,” he said. “I love working and being busy and accomplishing things. This will strike a new chord in who I am. I am so excited about it.”

To donate to Daniel’s wildfire efforts, please visit his GoFundMe.