Unity from Tragedy – The Jewish and Israeli Response in Haiti

Unity from Tragedy – The Jewish and Israeli Response in Haiti

by Julie Lehmann Weisman

In the past two weeks, your senses have been assailed with images, voices, and stories of the Haitian community tragedy. The 7.0 Earthquake that rocked Port au Prince and has taken the lives of at least 200,000 Haitians has worked its way into every corner of the news, social media, and into our hearts. The tremendous outpouring of funds and community action that have sprung about in response is astounding. There are community council meetings, relief funds, text message donation campaigns, benefit dinners, concerts, elementary school collections, and mattress and medical supply drives, but possibly most impressive is the Israeli Defense Force team who was immediately mobilized to the scene and has set up an extensive field hospital caring for the sick and wounded.

The IDF Hospital has received tremendous news coverage, and attention from around the globe. Spending 5 minutes on Twitter last week would inundate you with Tweets that contained images from the hospital, links to videos from its major news coverage, and fascinating facts such as the third baby delivered there by C-section who was named ‘Israel’. The Israeli medical team came on the scene first and most effectively; one Harvard doctor on CNN even said they were the ONLY ones helping dying patients.

Yet the IDF field hospital, although the most present on the scene, are not the only ones making a difference. Jews all over the world have reached out to the victims of the earthquake and their families. In just 10 days, the American Jewish Joint Distribution committee (in cooperation with the Jewish Federations of North America) has raised over $3.5 million dollars in relief funds, $235,000 by the UJA Federation of NY alone. The American Jewish World Service organization has also collected over $3 million. IsraAID, the Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid, has sent two teams of emergency response professionals to deal with the trauma.

In addition to financial donation and emergency response teams, Jews everywhere are coming together to support the Haitian community. Rabbis, community leaders, and members of all sects are joining together in community councils, discussions, drives, and benefits in order to provide aid. The Jewish people are uniting across borders to find solutions. Reform groups are creating relief funds, Conservative groups are doing community drives, and Orthodox groups are advocating for and participating in all the efforts. For the first time in a long time, our entire community is united for a cause. And why this cause? Why now? “Our core values and belief in tzedakah, justice and tikkun olam, repairing the world, demand that we come together to bring light and hope to a people who have endured far too much,” said John Ruskay, executive vice president of UJA-Federation of New York. “We are reminded yet again that there are moments when being a citizen of this earth erases all borders and boundaries — geographic, ethnic and religious. When a disaster of this magnitude takes place, we all want to respond.”

On the brink of tragedy, we emerge triumphant. From destruction, we rebuild- not only their nation, but ours as well. We step up and assume our position in this world as a light unto the nations, with helping hands and a reassuring voice. We use this catastrophe to spark our compassion to fulfill our missions - both individual and collective.