[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 21985-21986]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    JEWISH COMMUNITY RELIEF EFFORTS

 Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
recognize and give thanks to the Jewish community's tremendous relief 
efforts in the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Countless 
Jewish individuals and organizations have stepped up to combat this 
national crisis, providing the victims of Hurricane Katrina with money, 
supplies and volunteers, while opening the doors of their homes, 
schools and synagogues.
  I would like to highlight a few of these efforts.
  Millions of dollars haven been raised in the name of the Katrina 
victims. The United Jewish Communities, local federations throughout 
the United States and Canada, and their partners have raised at least 
$14 million, including a $500,000 donation given by the Baltimore-based 
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation Inc. The Wein-
berg Foundation gave another $500,000 to Catholic Relief Charities. A 
smaller, but no less inspiring, fund was raised by students of the 
Sacramento, CA Shalom School, which donated proceeds from sales of 
their Rosh Hashanah honey pots.
  Educational aid for displaced students has come from Jewish 
organizations such as the Avi Chai Foundation, a group sending 
emergency grant money to the dozens of Jewish day schools that are 
admitting evacuees into their classrooms. And the Jewish Agency for 
Israel, MASA--the Gateway to Long-Term Israel Programs and Hillel are 
coordinating efforts to allow displaced students to take classes at 
Israeli universities.
  I would also like to recognize the synagogues that are contributing 
their

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resources to the effort by providing housing, schooling and free 
synagogue memberships--even adopting other synagogues in impacted 
states damaged by the storm.
  But the Jewish assistance provided to the victims of Hurricane 
Katrina does not stop at our borders. The State of Israel has been 
incredibly generous as well, donating 80 tons of supplies including 15 
tons of bottled water, 4 tons of rations, 4 tons of diapers, 1 ton of 
baby food, Medical supplies including adult and children's wheelchairs 
and crutches, thousands of first-aid kits and thousands of blankets and 
cots. They have also sent teams of professionals trained in disaster 
relief to assist victims of this terrible disaster, including doctors, 
paramedics, mental health professionals, search and rescue teams and 
disaster relief planning and operations specialists.
  In times such as these, it is critical that people of all faiths come 
together to help those in need and I am proud to see that the Jewish 
community has stepped up and met the challenge head on.

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