“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when?” Hillel – Ethics of the Fathers, 1:14
Support Earthquake Survivors in Turkey and Syria
We have all been watching the horrible aftermath of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6th. As of this writing over 35,000 people have died. Those that survived this devastating catastrophe are now faced with cold, hunger and despair.
Hundreds of thousands of people in both countries have been left homeless in the middle of winter. Many have been forced to camp out in shelters in supermarket car parks, mosques, roadsides or in the ruins, they are desperate for food, water and heat.
Some 40% of buildings in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras have been damaged. The estimates are that 6,500 buildings have totally collapsed.
Temple Beth Sholom joins the world community in mourning those that were killed and in trying to support the victims that remain. As individuals we often feel overwhelmed and helpless, not knowing what we can do to really help. We can all be proud of the many Israeli and Worldwide Jewish organizations that immediately began to offer assistance. Our Social Action Committee has put together links to just a few of these organizations that are making a difference. Please help and donate to the organization of your choice.
Hadassah Medical Organization
“As an organization dedicated to healing our world, we are grateful to be able to participate in global relief efforts. A team of four Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) doctors and a nurse have been called upon to serve in the official Israel Defense Forces and Ministry of Health medical relief mission to Turkey to aid the victims of the earthquake. The delegation will establish a field hospital to treat survivors.”
JDC
“JDC’s disaster response team was on the ground within hours. They’ve supported the Turkish Jewish community in their evacuation of 10 of its members from historic Antakya to safety and are continuing to help care for them.”
IsraAID’s
“Emergency Response Team, including experts in mental health, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene, and emergency logistics, arrived in southern Türkiye within 2 days to begin their rapid needs assessment and start distributing essential relief items. Today, the team visited the city of Kahramanmaraş, near the epicenter of the earthquake, to assess the humanitarian situation only two days after the disaster struck.”
American Friends of Magen David
“Adom’s Earthquake Relief Fund is raising money for essential supplies to provide relief for people and families affected by the earthquake centered in Turkey. Funds are designated first and foremost for the communities in Turkey most impacted by the quake. Funds could also potentially be used in Israel in the weeks ahead should ahead should the region’s seismic activity radiate down the Dead Sea fault and directly affect communities in Israel, which was only tangentially impacted by the first tremor.”
“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” Rabbi Tarfon, Ethics of the Fathers 2:21
