Rabbi in Puerto Rico pleads for help on eve of Yom Kippur
Rabbi Mendel Zarchi and his wife Rachel Zarchi have spent 19 years building up a small Jewish congregation in Puerto Rico. To do so, they've drawn from Jewish communities as far away as Canada, Israel, and other nations.
Right now, the rabbi is busy preparing for Yom Kippur services, which begin on Friday at sundown and mark the start of the most holy day of year for the Jewish people. However, he is doing so in an environment of destruction, squalor, and a mounting humanitarian crisis.
In a series of emails to supporters around the world, which were provided by a supporter of the Chabad of Puerto Rico congregation, Rabbi Zarchi provided striking documentation of how a bad situation immediately after the storm has transformed into a truly desperate one today.
SEE ALSO:Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. Here's what you can do to help.This year's Yom Kippur services will be unlike any in his time on the island, the rabbi said. His members are dwindling as residents frantically seek ways to escape the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
On top of that, the house where the rabbi and his wife live sustained significant damage when Hurricane Maria blasted across Puerto Rico as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 20.
In a message on Friday, hours before the start of the enchanting but solemn Kol Nidre service that begins Yom Kippur, Rabbi Zarchi reflected on the deteriorating situation in Puerto Rico.
Credit: CHABAD OF PUERTO RICO"I know that this Yom Kippur -- in the shadow of the utter destruction inflicted on us by Hurricane Maria -- will be unlike any other we have experienced yet," he wrote.
"In these final hours before we will stand in front of the Al-mighty aasking [sic] for his compassion and understanding, I implore you to hear our pain and demonstration the very same compassion and understanding toward the humanitarian crisis we are facing," he wrote, asking supporters for donations that would go to rebuilding the temple and also helping islanders of all faiths to obtain food, clean drinking water, and other basic necessities.
The temple where the rabbi will be leading Yom Kippur services beginning Friday night will hold fewer people this year than during Yom Kippurs past, since so many members of the congregation are leaving the island.
In the short term, the beautiful island of Puerto Rico is experiencing a great void and emptiness
"In the short term, the beautiful island of Puerto Rico is experiencing a great void and emptiness," Rabbi Zarchi wrote on Sept. 26. "The loss of lives, destruction of homes, unrecognizable landscape and now the departure of many of its dear residents."
Rabbi Zarchi's chabad organization has flown aid in with the help of wealthy Jewish supporters abroad and distributed it to areas in desperate need of help. They've also helped arrange flights out for people, too. The organization also partnered with a community service organization called PR4PR to distribute humanitarian aid.
In Friday's dispatch, the rabbi wrote that the island is "experiencing an unprecedented exodus of tens of thousands of people desperate to be relieved of the unbearable conditions."
The rabbi, along with his wife, Rachel, issued a plea for help from the mainland of the United States, at the same time as criticism has mounted against the Trump administration's sluggish and ineffective storm response:
The response to this overwhelming tragedy demands a national initiative. We are a nation built on compassion and kindness, and we must demand that Puerto Rico – especially those most vulnerable and impoverished – be treated with those very attributes.
Yet at the end of the day, the rabbi and his wife are working toward reestablishing their home and rebuilding their congregation, just as millions of others on Puerto Rico are struggling to pick up the pieces and rebuild, too.
"Over the last ten days, we have seen much of our hard work compromised for the indefinite future. Yet, even as our personal living quarters have been constrained to a 12’ x 12’ room with air mattresses at Chabad, we are hopeful for the future and consider ourselves privileged and fortunate to be in a position to help others and lead by example," they wrote.
"We look forward to the day when we can welcome you back to our beautiful and restored Island."
Featured Video For You
Neil deGrasse Tyson says this is the absolute fastest a car can accelerate
相关文章
Echo Dot (5th gen) deal — get it for $29.99 at Amazon
GET $20 OFF:As of Aug. 23, you can get an Echo Dot (5th gen) for $29.99 at Amazon, down from $49.99.2024-09-22Black History Month Google Doodle celebrates baseball player Toni Stone
In honor of Black History Month, Google has released an animated Google Doodle tribute to baseball l2024-09-22Facebook waited two weeks to tell employees payroll data was stolen
Hey, Facebook employees, Mark Zuckerberg doesn't deserve you. That much was made abundantly clear to2024-09-22Hybrid rooftop device to harvest solar energy and passively cool buildings at the same time
Over the last few years, we've been keeping tabs on a cooling system developed by a team led by Prof2024-09-22“精致小春姐”顾春芳:华丽白西装、镶钻水晶拖鞋,带来新兴凉果No.1
“精致小春姐”顾春芳:华丽白西装、镶钻水晶拖鞋,带来新兴凉果No.1_南方+_南方plus“欢迎收听广东‘讲错’电台编外节目之广东省第一届农事运动会乡村直播大赛......”来自云浮市新兴县的村播“精2024-09-22Why the Cincinnati Bengals are Super Bowl LVI's Gen Z icons
On Sunday, Feb. 13, hundreds of millions of people will look at their TVs during Super Bowl LVI and2024-09-22
最新评论