Responding to disasters is an important part of Federations' and JFNA's work. Our Federation is part of a remarkable system that assesses damage, and raises funds for respective partners with efficiency and speed in order to have a profound impact wherever help is needed. No other agency within our communal system has the experience or capacity to manage such crisis intervention efforts. The ability to mobilize, lead and to plan, represents an historic trademark of our system. JFNA's emergency committee and the Federations' systems have been on the front lines of responding to disasters over the past several weeks. The following is an update on the collective work of Federations to date:

Hurricane Harvey

Several weeks following the end of the rain, Houston and the other areas affected by Hurricane Harvey are still in fairly early stages of recovery.  With more than 2,000 Jewish homes flooded, and 8 major institutional facilities in the Jewish community sustaining catastrophic damage, the scope of issues facing the Houston Jewish community are enormous.

To date approximately $17.9M has been raised through the Jewish Federation system. Of this amount, over $12M has been allocated through the Houston Federation and the national Emergency Committee process to provide direct relief to flood victims (trauma counseling, case management and financial assistance), to help these individuals and families to stay connected to Jewish life and community, and to address institutional sustainability and repair issues. The focus of the Jewish Federations’ national funding is primarily in the area of relief to flood victims. While the primary focus is on the enormous impact of the flood in Houston, our Emergency Committee has also worked with the small communities in Galveston and Beaumont to assist those communities.

San Diego Board Member and NYLC Member, Kira Finkenberg, was on the ground in Houston and witnessed the devastation first hand. “There was a tremendous amount of work,” Kira shared. “A lot of water, mold, and bad smells, but the trip was worth it; Our group was small, but mighty”. Thanks to Kira, many other volunteers, and with your generosity, our San Diego community raised $141,535 to help support the victims of Hurricane Harvey. 

Hurricanes Irma and Maria

The impact on mainland Florida from Hurricane Irma was less severe than anticipated, especially for the larger concentrations of Jewish population on Florida’s east coast.  While the larger communities in South Florida (Miami, Broward County, South Palm Beach and Palm Beach) were generally able to address the issues in their own communities and extend assistance to other communities, there was heavier impact on some of the smaller communities further north (Collier County, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine). 

The biggest impact of these storms was felt in the islands off the coast of Florida, within and beyond the US border - Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the Florida Keys, Cuba, and others.  JFNA's national Emergency Committee has focused on the US communities affected, while our partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, to support Cuba and other island nations.  The major focus of our efforts has been in Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, which are both characterized by small Jewish communities deeply affected amidst a sea of misery well-documented in the news media.

None of these communities have communal infrastructure beyond individual synagogues and our support has primarily been directly to affected individuals through the various congregations, and supporting the work of IsraAID and the AFYA Foundation, who are providing humanitarian assistance to the Jewish communities and on a significant non-sectarian basis.

To date, JFNA has raised $900,000 and delivered 212 generators to Jewish communities in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and the Keys. With your help, San Diego has raised $63,326 to help support the victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. 

Mexico Earthquakes

With longstanding ties with the Jewish community of Mexico, as well as CADENA, JDC immediately reached out to assess needs and implement a response focusing on immediate rescue and relief including digging people out of the rubble, emergency psychology services and medical aid. With your help, San Diego has raised $49,317 to support those impacted by the catastrophic earthquakes. 

North Bay Fires in California

The most recent focus of disaster relief efforts has been in response to the extensive wildfires in Napa and Sonoma counties in California.  Over the period it took to get the fires contained, a very extensive area was devastated by the fires, resulting in the loss of 7,000 structures. Within the Jewish community, dozens of Jewish homes were destroyed by fire, including URJ’s Camp Newman. 

Thank you for your support and generosity. You are there when it counts, and your donation makes a difference. YOU make a difference. One hundred percent of the funds raised are used to help those impacted by these disasters. Together, we have made great strides, but there is still work to do.