As relief efforts continue in Haiti, Chicago's Jewish community has kept up its generous flow of resources to the devastated island nation. Nearly 3,700 Chicagoans have contributed $736,638 to the Jewish Federation's Earthquake Relief Fund, which now also supports rescue work in Chile following the 8.8-magnitude quake there Feb. 27.
“The Jewish community of Chicago, through the Federation, is funding truly life-saving relief work,” said Federation Chairman David Sherman. “Our community’s outpouring of support for these efforts is nothing short of inspirational. We are proud the Federation is able to respond quickly to such crises, and especially proud that our community entrusts us to achieve this noble goal.”
Most contributors so far have joined the effort online – 2,840 out of 3,635 donors have given via the Federation’s secure site – while others contributed via a special hotline (312-444-2869), sent in checks or made distributions from their Donor-Advised Funds.
JUF President Steven B. Nasatir writes in an op-ed in The Chicago Sun-Times that the call to tikkun olam (to repair the world) is one "Jewish Chicagoans answer time and again for people in need, regardless of their religion." Nasatir's piece was also featured by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and ran in a number of Jewish and general community publications.
Here in Chicago, JUF along with its Jewish Community Emergency Resiliency Team (JCERT) and Sinai Health System worked with the city, the American Red Cross, United Way and other organizations to provide crisis mental health services and medical care to Haitian evacuees, who briefly used Chicago as a transit point last weekend before continuing to other destinations in the United States.
The Federation is helping fund on-the-ground efforts by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and IsraAID, a coalition of Jewish and Israeli rescue and relief organizations. Along with other groups, JDC and IsraAID are providing food, water, shelter and medicine to survivors. JDC sponsored 115 water tanks that will ensure clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of quake victims living in tent villages.
IsraAID partnered with actor Sean Penn and Israeli-born actress Moran Atias in its efforts in some of the hardest hit areas of Port-au-Prince, including providing medical care and post-trauma support to some 50,000 people now living in a make-shift camp outside the U.S. ambassador's residence, reports the JTA. View photos of IsraAID volunteers assisting Haitians.
IsraAID also assembled two other teams of volunteers, who arrived in Haiti within a month of the first team. The organization and its partners are continuing to assess the medical needs on the ground, including post-trauma interventions. The organization’s representatives also will purchase additional relief supplies to sustain victims as rebuilding begins.
IsraAID has set up two educational centers, which will offer child-friendly activities for 250 participants at a time at the Petionville tent city and 90 children at a time at the Jouvane camp. Together, the camps house more than 65,000 residents, including nearly 60,000 who are living just outside the U.S. ambassador’s residence. Within a week of instituting the program, it was expanded to several other tent cities around Port-au-Prince. The organization has partnered with two Jerusalem hospitals to send additional volunteer physicians and nurses, who will begin long-term treatments for affected children.
Meanwhile, IsraAID has brought Israeli medical experts in the rehabilitation of amputees to Haiti to help examine and evaluate injured victims from the devastating earthquake.
In highlighting its relief activities in Haiti, IsraAID cited Chicago’s Federation as one of its primary sources of support.
While Jewish and Israeli relief workers were among the first to arrive in Haiti following the devastating quake, they have remained on the island to begin planning rebuilding efforts. As reported earlier, the IDF emergency medical and rescue team completed its mission in Haiti and returned to Israel last week.
A Medill News Service story described the Federation's efforts and highlights its use of online giving. “I think [JUF’s efforts] are amazing,” Red Cross spokeswoman Martha Carlos told the Medill reporter.
Federation is continuing to collect contributions to the Jewish Federation Haitian Earthquake Relief Fund. Donations can be made at http://www.juf.org/relief_fund or by calling the hotline: 312.444.2869. 100% of collected donations go directly to support non-sectarian needs on the ground; the Jewish Federation is absorbing all administrative costs.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government is offering a special tax break to those who contribute to Haitian relief efforts. President Obama on Friday signed legislation allowing taxpayers to deduct cash donations to Haiti relief efforts on their 2009 returns, rather than having to wait until they file for 2010. Specifically, cash donations to charities for the Haitian relief effort given after Jan. 11 and before March 1 may be treated as if the contribution was made on Dec. 31, 2009. This measure applies only to monetary donations, not goods or services.
