Houston Jews help Katrina victims
Exclusive to Ynetnews: Rabbi of Houston synagogue tells about human dramas, affected lives, and intense feelings swirled up by Hurricane Katrina's aftermath
I wanted a chance to write all of you about what has been happening here in Houston.
It has been an unbelievable week for us all. As of tonight, over 100,000 refugees are calling Houston home. Many of them are at the Astrodome and its surrounding facilities. As some of you know, our synagogue and the main part of the Houston Jewish Community is only two to three miles from the Astrodome. So we are definitely feeling the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
The overwhelming amount of help through donations and money that has gone out from our community has been extremely inspiring. Millions of dollars have already been raised and there are literally too many donations for the refugees to accept. They are now asking people here to stop giving for a few days because they can not handle the volume.
Shabbat for hundreds
Houstonians of all types are responding in so many positive ways.
A few of the things we have done at our synagogue:
- This past Friday night, we held a Shabbat dinner for hundreds of displaced Jews from New Orleans. The dinner was a huge success. Many of the New Orleans Jews told us that night that they will probably stay in Houston for good. In fact, some of already applied for membership.
- Starting tomorrow, five children from New Orleans will begin school in our day school.
- We are currently planning a toiletry drive to assemble 2,500 personal hygiene bags this week. Children and adults throughout our synagogue are participating.
- On September 28, members of the Houston Jewish Community will be responsible for serving meals at the Astrodome. We expect over 1,000 of our members to participate on that day.
Crowded house
A few months ago, a nice couple from New Orleans moved in across the street. They live in a modest rental home. Last Sunday, the sister of the wife across the street came with her family after evacuating New Orleans right before the hurricane arrived.
For several days, we noticed that at least 12 adults and children were living in this very small home. One afternoon last week, Lisa asked how they were sleeping at night. She heard that many of them were sleeping on the floors and in chairs.
Without going any further, Lisa invited the them to use our back house apartment at night. We have two
large beds and a full bathroom in our garage apartment. Tonight, five of them are sleeping in our backhouse. It is the least we could do to help. Now, the hurricane's effects have really hit home.
Baby reunification
You may have seen the story on CNN of the Jewish couple in New Orleans that had to leave their baby at the hospital. Here is the full story written by the Houston Federation Director Lee Wunsch:
"Tad and Helene Breaux, a Jewish couple from New Orleans, gave birth to their first born son shortly before Hurricane Katrina. Health issues caused their son, Zachary, to be placed into the neonatal intensive care unit at a New Orleans hospital. When the storm came in, the hospital was evacuated.
Zachary, then just a few days old, was taken with other patients to a Fort Worth hospital, while his parents ended up in Houston.
"Thanks to the tireless work of Adam Bronstone, the Director of Community Relations for the New Orleans Jewish Federation (officing out of the Houston Jewish Federation building), Angel Flight took the Breauxs to Fort Worth to be reunited.
"This past Friday, while attending Shabbat services at Beth Yeshurun, I met the grandma of Zachary Breaux. The Breauxs are now back in Houston, also courtesy of Angel Flight, and their son Zachary will receive his brit milah in the coming days right here in our community. Mazel tov."
I will be officiating at the bris later this week. This may be one of the most powerful brit milah I have ever been a part of as a rabbi. I will let you know how it goes.
How to help
If you would like to help, please consider sending a gift card from a national restaurant or movie chain. We can then pass these on to either the family that is staying with us or other displaced families that I am coming in contact with at the synagogue. A number of these families need help in getting their own children through this. A night out can do wonders for a family that has lost almost everything.
Please keep the refugees in your prayers. So many of them are honest, good people who are the victims of this national disaster.
Together, we can do so much to help.
B'shalom,
Brian
Brian Strauss is rabbi of Congregation Beth Yeshurun in Houston, Texas. He can be reached by email at bstrauss@bethyeshurun.org
