Emanu-El | Haiti Earthquake Relief

On January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southern Haiti,
inflicting a catastrophe upon the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation...

In response to the devastating earthquake, Temple Emanu-El’s Religious School tzedakah collection on Wednesday, January 13, 2010, was donated to the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) Disaster Relief Fund. That afternoon, our fifth, sixth and seventh grade students raised $284.87, six times more than we had collected on any one day of school in the past. In addition, three children of one Religious School family (who wish to be anonymous) made a donation through the school of $300.

On January 20, 2010, our Wednesday students insisted that our tzedakah collection again be donated to AJWS, and we raised an additional $165.88. The total contribution to relief efforts through our tzedakah collection was $750.75. This is in addition to the $10,000 donated by our congregation’s Philanthropic Committee to Catholic Relief Services.

Students in Monica Agor’s sixth grade class
wrote the following letter to accompany our donation:

Dear AJWS,

The students of the Temple Emanu-El Religious School of New York City would like to donate our tzedakah money to help you in your effort to help the Haitians. We believe that we should do this because when we are hurt we want support; you are that support. We hope that you will be able to bring relief to the Haitian people and rebuild Haiti better than before.

Sincerely,

Students of Temple Emanu-El

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people of Haiti in the wake of this overwhelming disaster.

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