Mutual Responsibility
Addressing Hurricane Katrina –
An FAQ for Jewish Educators
FAQ – Facts
Q1: What is the American Jewish community doing, what is
Israel doing, and what is the Jewish Agency doing?
Answer
1. The UJC and Jewish community in the USA and around the world
has launched an appeal for funds to help the refugees, be they Jewish or non-Jewish,
and to save lives.
The main appeals are through the UJC website and Federation websites, the
websites of the religious streams and movements of Judaism (Reform, Conservative,
Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavitch) and major Jewish organizations (Bnai Brith).
UJC Humanitarian Relief Fund
http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=161563
Conservative Judaism Hurricane Relief
http://www.uscj.org/Hurricane_ReliefYou_6553.html
Bnai Brith Disaster Relief
http://bnaibrith.org/pubs/pr/090205_kaplan.cfm
Union for Reform Judaism Hurricane Relief
http://urj.org/relief/
This appeal is being carried around the Jewish world, by websites and the
media.
The Conservative Movement has created a special prayer for the situation.
http://www.uscj.org/Hurricane_A_Prayer_f6803.html
2. The local Jewish community in Houston, Texas is providing hospitality
to Jews from sister communities and congregations in New Orleans, as well
as essential education, social, and religious services to the refugees from
the Jewish community. This includes hosting refugees for the High Holiday
services, offering free places in Jewish schools, taking families into their
homes, providing kosher food, counseling, youth activities, and elder care…
Hurricane Relief by the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston
Relief voluntary work, Emergency Response Team, Jewish community and hosting
families from New Orleans, social and education services
http://www.houstonjewish.org/
Communities open doors to New Orleans Jews
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1125368483720
Hurricane Relief Action in Austin, Texas
http://www.jcaaonline.org/HurricaneKatrina.htm
Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Fund - includes some news
http://jewishla.org/html/hurricanekatrina.htm
US Jewish organizations have an outstanding record in Emergency Assistance
and sustained relief projects:
A-Z of Jewish and Israeli Relief Programs (Tsunami files)
http://www.jafi.org.il/education/actual/tsunami/14.html
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's Jewish Service Corps
http://www.jdc.org/how_volunteer.html
AJJDC's non-sectarian relief programs http://www.jdc.org/nonsect_coalitions.html
3. The Jewish Community Federation's Emergency Response Team in
Houston, Texas, is putting these services "on tap", and
working in with local rescue and relief work across the board, including referral
of volunteers for training and assignment, collection of supplies, and so
on.
4. Israel was one of the first countries to offer assistance
and the first airlift with medical and emergency supplies left early this
week. Another airlift has departed with 80 tons of supplies, coordinated with
the US government, including: food, disposable diapers, beds, blankets, generators,
and additional equipment, which were donated from or through different governmental
institutions, civilian institutions and the IDF; of this, the Kibbutz Movement
and industries put together 15 tons of first line supplies, such as, baby
milk, awnings to cope with the heat of the sun, and other large scale assistance.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/622173.html
5. The Israel Chief Rabbinate has created a special prayer:
Our Heavenly Father, Founder of the world and Creator of the
universe, compassionate and merciful God, Please spare and show compassion
to Your creatures and the world You have created, And especially the inhabitants
of the states along the Gulf of Mexico in the United States. Save them from
every calamity, from the winds of storm and hurricane, from the waters of
the sea, and from every sorrow and evil, And send deliverance and redemption
to all those who call upon Thy Name. Save them from the floodwaters and rescue
them from the abyss, Lead them to a place of safety, and do not abandon them,
And in Your abundant mercy send them redemption in the measure of their loss,
And complete healing to the sick and those in pain, and comfort to their souls
and spirit. May all the inhabitants of the Earth know and recognize that You
are the Supreme King, Who rules the powers of the universe and shows mercy
to His creatures, who praise Your great Name, amen.
6. The Jewish Agency for Israel (www.jafi.org.il)
has always worked in close partnership with Jewish organizations around the
world. Its main partner is United Jewish Communities www.ujc.org and the non-federated
communities of the United States, which is constitutionally part of the Jewish
Agency Executive and Assembly and which supports the Jewish Agency's work
for Israel's development - while the Jewish Agency plays a key educational
role in the enhancement of Jewish involvement and identity.
http://www.jafi.org.il/about/partner.htm
It is therefore only natural, that the Jewish Agency has been in close, ongoing
contact with its UJC partners to see how it can offer meaningful assistance
to their Emergency Appeal and ongoing needs in this crisis. It has responded
by:
- Extending the appeal for funds to Israel itself http://www.jafi.org.il/about/
;
- Offering to assist students from Tulane University with continuing study
at Israeli universities http://www.jafi.org.il/highlights/2005/sept/05a.htm
.
Q2
Were any Jewish communities affected by Hurricane Katrina?
Answer
Yes, there were about 10,000-12,000 Jews living in New Orleans, Louisianna,
and some of them managed to leave before the hurricane, about half left. People
have gone mainly to relatives, if they have them, some in other cities: about
half the community went to Houston, Texas, where the Federation office has
relocated and where local Jewish synagogues and families have opened their
doors, homes and hearts to the refugees.
Some of the suburbs in New Orleans were not so badly hit and the water level
did not rise too high, so the Touro Synagogue and the Sinai Synagogue were
not affected; however, in other suburbs where the Jewish community lived,
the water rose to 3 meters.
Q3
Can you find me a personal story about Jewish refugees?
Answer
The disaster is so great, that there are many personal stories, and people
are involved more in helping than in telling the story of Jewish refugees,
who are mainly being hosted in other people's homes. However, there is a very
moving story on the Conservative Movement website about people abandoned the
packing of their own goods to go and rescue the Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls)
in their synagogue and left with them for Texas. http://www.uscj.org/Hurricane_ReliefYou_6553.html
A more general overview, with some stories
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/620247.html
Q4
Do you have links for Jewish community websites in New Orleans?
Answer
There are both organizational and synagogue websites. We bring the addresses
of all the synagogues, from which you can see that this is a wide-ranging
Jewish community.
New Orleans Jewish Community & Organizations
Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans http://www.jewishnola.com/
http://www.jewishneworleans.org/home.htm
New Orleans Jewish Community Center http://www.nojcc.com/
Jewish Endowment Foundation http://jefno.org/defaultframeset.html
New Orleans Jewish Day School http://www.nojds.com/index.html
New Orleans & Area. Synagogues A-Z:
Anshe Sfard 2230 Carondelet St. 522-4714 [O]
Beth Israel 7000 Canal Blvd. 283-4366 [O]
Chabad 4141 W. Esplanade Av. Metairie 454-2910 [O]
Gates of Prayer 4000 W. Esplanade Avenue Metairie 885-2600 [R]
Northshore Jewish Congregation, 5150 Highway 22, P.O. Box 524 (504) 792-1118
Mandeville, LA 70470 [R]
Shir Chadash 3737 W. Esplanade 889-1144 [C]
Temple Sinai 6227 St. Charles Ave. 861-3693 [R] http://www.templesinaino.org/index.htm
Touro Synagogue 4238 St. Charles Ave. 895-4843 [R] http://www.tourosynagogue.com/
Old postcard http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/postcards/cards/16.htm
More details on http://www.jewishneworleans.org/synagogues.htm
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