The earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12 is a catastrophe of epic proportions. We as a Jewish community, and as part of the human family, cannot sit idly by.
As of press time, casualty reports remain sketchy, but the 7.0 temblor leveled much of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, wiping out infrastructure, utilities and countless buildings.
More devastating is the human toll of this strongest Caribbean earthquake in more than 200 years. We may not know the precise number of dead and injured for some time, but homelessness, disease and despair are sure to follow.
Already the Jewish community is mobilizing.
Bay Area Jewish institutions have swung into action. The Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay (www.jfed.org), the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation (www.sfjcf.org) and the Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley (www.jvalley.org) have links on their Web sites to make it easy to donate.
Among their recipients is the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which has set up a relief fund. Other national Jewish organizations accepting donations for aid efforts include B’nai B’rith International, the Union for Reform Judaism and American Jewish World Service.
The American Jewish Committee has partnered with IsraAID, a leading Israeli nongovernmental relief organization, to rush humanitarian medical assistance to the island nation.
Israel, a nation experienced in disaster response, has also taken action. The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid, a coordinating body of Israeli and Jewish organizations, has dispatched an Israel Defense Forces search-and-rescue unit, which includes emergency medical staff from the IDF Medical Corps.
As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has often been neglected by the family of nations. With an average income of $3.60 a day, most Haitians can barely scrape together a meal, let alone ensure quake-ready building codes.
We are struck by the contrast between the news out of Haiti and our cover story this week about unemployment in the wake of the recession. Protracted unemployment is indeed a devastating blow to families. Governments and private industry must do all they can to improve the jobs outlook.
But everything is relative. There is a scale of human disaster, and Haiti is now off the chart.
It is incumbent upon us as Jews and as human beings to assist those suffering in Haiti. See out story on page 10a, and give generously. Time is of the essence.