UJC/Federation support for tsunami aid tops $4 million

Jan 21, 2005 - United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Federations of North America continue reaching out to help victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami, raising more than $4 million since the December catastrophe killed some 153,000.
More than 50 communities have launched highly successful mailbox drives to 
raise funds for non-sectarian tsunami aid by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the overseas arm of the Jewish community that provides relief and promotes Jewish renewal in more than 60       countries. By phone, mail and the Web, federations from Atlanta to Winnipeg, Manitoba have raised at least $4.3 million, with many reporting donations still flowing in.    
As of this week, the JDC has raised $7.3 million total, which includes $1.8 million already received in hand from federations. Alongside some $6 million raised by the American Jewish World Service (AJWS), which fights 
poverty around the world and is working with 24 non-governmental aid groups in Southeast Asia, that means Jewish groups have raised at least $15 million for the disaster -- and that does not include Jewish giving to      non-sectarian groups.
The executive committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford voted to allocate $5,000 to the JDC to help victims of the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster, announced Richard Rubenstein, Federation President and Cathrine Fischer Schwartz, executive director.
In an effort to coordinate the Jewish response and plan for intermediate and long-term rebuilding, the 36 organizations belonging to the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief formed the Jewish Coalition for Asia Tsunami Relief. The coalition opened a single account to coordinate allocations for tsunami relief, with the AJWS and JDC this week each contributing an initial $250,000.
The Jewish response to the tsunami has already made an impact. JDC has      earmarked more than $550,000 for immediate emergency efforts in the       tsunami zone, helping fund:       a partnership with the Disaster Mitigation Institute in India to help people re-establish their livelihoods and rebuild their homes. JDC has also partnered with the group Catholic Relief (Caritas) in the hard-hit         Indian areas of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala to provide household supplies,         temporary shelter and counseling to 2,000 families;
a partnership with the International Rescue Committee in Indonesia,         which is working on finding and protecting children who lost family; a partnership with Chabad in Thailand, to help identify bodies,         distribute emergency supplies and staff medical centers; an assessment team in Sri Lanka, to determine emergency relief needs and identify aid partners, plus assessment surveys in Indonesia, India and Thailand.