ORTHODOX UNION URGES JEWISH COMMUNITY TO HELP VICTIMS OF HAITI EARTHQUAKE: ‘IMO ANOCHI B’TZARAH’
In the wake of the monumental earthquake in Haiti, the Orthodox Union today urged members of the Jewish community to open their hearts and to submit their contributions through the OU website, www.ou.org. The OU will serve as a collection point for donations, which will be directly forwarded to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
In a statement, OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Steven Weil and OU President Stephen J. Savitsky, declared:
“It is difficult to comprehend the enormity of the devastation in Haiti. Jews are described by the Talmud as ‘rachmanim b’nei rachmanim,’ a particularly compassionate people who are sensitive to the suffering of all, and we cannot sit by and ignore this terrible drama of human suffering and misery. We echo the words of the Psalmist who said, ‘imo anochi b’tzarah’ (‘I am with him in distress’, Psalm 91), when we call upon members of our community to open their hearts and join us in extending a helping hand.
Through our website, the Orthodox Union is serving as a collection point for donations, which will be directly forwarded to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. The JDC has already helped to send an Israeli relief team of medical, search and rescue, and post-trauma counseling experts to assist survivors, and will continue to assist with the help of our contributions. Your support is needed immediately.
Please go to www.ou.org/haiti to donate.”