Haiti Devastation: Israelis and Diasporan Jews Help Save Lives

On January 12, massive earthquakes devasted Haiti, killing thousands of people.

Two friends from my synagogue, Ben Portman and Jacob Klein, actually flew to Haiti to help out with relief aid. I want to point out their mitzvah on this site. They're amazing guys.

My Sabra friend Isaac Cohen is helping with the IDF and a group of non-profit Israeli doctors, and their country is getting a ton of good notice. In fact, Israelis are being remarkably effective.

According to CNN, Israel, Argentina, Russia, Portugal, and Turkey are sending hospitals constantly. "6-year old Jessica Hartelin was pulled from the rubble by local residents and rushed to a field hospital set up by Israelis at a Port-au-Prince soccer field."

"I'm just amazed," one CNN reporter said. "This [Israeli] makeshift hospital is like another world compared to the other [makeshift] hospital. According to The Forward, the reporter asked how it could be that the United States did not set up a hospital in Haiti while "the Israelis came fromm the other side of the world."

It's always nice to see our own people doing good in the world (along with members of practically every other religion and nationality,) but that's not the only reason to point out Jewish and Israeli Good Samaritans. It's also important for Jews to know their hard-earned money is actually going towards something effective when they support Jewish and Israeli charities.

Here are some of the best Jewish groups doing relief aid work in Haiti at this moment.

http://www.wjr.org.uk/appeals/646-Haiti-Emergency-Earthquake-appeal


http://www.jdc.org/about-jdc/crisis-response.aspx?id=4028

Also check out this Israeli group with whom my friend Isaac is working.

http://www.afmda.org/

Finally, it's so easy to donate to the American Red Cross. Just text HAITI to 90999 and a ten dollar donation will be added to your phone bill (with most carriers.)