Project Kehila is convening this fall to discuss how best to respond to the unprecedented damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the resulting wreckage they left behind in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean. Project Kehila, our natural disaster response team, was founded in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, LA, and sprang into action to support relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy.
Rebuilding will be a long road. Project Kehila presents this information to the CRS community concerned and ready to take action.
How You Can Help – Florida
As we have considered the most effective way to provide assistance to Hurricane Irmaโs victims, we have had extensive conversations with our partners at the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Florida is an area of strength for the Federation system, with a dozen highly effective federations ready to coordinate assistance in their local communities. In this case, we believe that the best response to partner closely with JFNA rather than running our own fundraising effort. You can find more information about this joint effort at www.urj.org/irma.
We are working closely with JFNA to make sure that the needs of our Reform congregations (and their congregants) will be a high priority for their relief allocations. We will be in ongoing, high-level contact with JFNA as the allocation process develops.
Other Organizations:
- Volunteer Florida is looking for volunteers.ย For more information, visit www.volunteerflorida.org/irma
- Greater Miami Jewish Federation:
- In times like these, we can depend on Miamiโs strong, united Jewish community to care for each other and to do our part to care for all in need. As the utility companies work to restore electrical power and communications services, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is partnering with the Jewish and general communities to assess the needs of our local residents and institutions, and to mobilize volunteers and other resources where they are needed most.Federation has established an emergency relief fund to support urgent needs in the Jewish and general communities in the wake of Hurricane Irma.Donation checks with a notation of โHurricane Irma Relief Fundโ should be mailed to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, 4200 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33137. For assistance, you may also call 305.576.4000. One hundred percent of all contributions to the Hurricane Irma Relief Fund will be directed to this effort.Volunteers wishing to help others should call the Jewish Volunteer Center of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation at 877.879.5652 and follow the prompts. Please leave your name and contact information and someone will return your call. You may also email IrmaVolunteers@gmjf.org.
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How You Can Help โ Texas
Partners in relief work: The URJ is working closely with our partners in the Jewish Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (JVOAD), especially the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and NECHAMA. A few updates:
- Jewish Family Services in Houston opened August 30th. They are asking for volunteer case managers and clinical experts. They also have a JFS crisis hotline for weather-related anxiety, staffed by a local therapist.
- The Jewish Community Center is serving as a gatherer and distributor of supplies. They are soliciting both volunteers and specific supplies.
- Donate: Donations to the URJโs Hurricane Harvey Relief Fundย (now closed, thank you for your generosity!) will support the work of URJ Greene Family Camp, as well as that of other community partners.
We also recommend donations to:
- Send gift cards from major national retailers: The primary request from Houston-area congregational leadership is for physical gift cards (not electronic versions) to stores such as Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and Loweโs, as well as the major grocery stores in the area, Kroger and H-E-B. Rabbi David Lyon of Congregation Beth Israel (a large congregation in great need) notes:
- You may send gift cards to any Houston-area congregation, who will distribute them based on need:
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- Congregation Beth Israel, 5600 N. Braeswood Blvd., Houston, TX 77096
- Congregation Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd., Houston, TX 77005
- Congregation Beth Shalom of the Woodlands, 5125 Shadowbend Place, The Woodlands, TX 77381
- Temple Sinai, 13875 Brimhurst Drive, Houston, TX 77077
- Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, 801 Bering Drive, Houston, TX 77057
- Temple Emanuel, 1120 Broadway, Beaumont, TX 77701
- Congregation B’Nai Israel, P.O. Box 8060, Galveston, TX 77553
- Congregation Beth Israel, 4402 Saratoga Blvd, Corpus Christi, TX 78413
- Congregation Beth El, 3900 Raoul Wallenberg Lane, Missouri City, TX 77459
- Volunteer: NECHAMA expects to have volunteer opportunities available soon.
- โWhat about donations of food or clothing?โ The best advice from those directly involved in working with the flood victims is that donations to relief organizations or gift cards are preferable, as it is difficult and inefficient to match up victimsโ needs with specific donations. Instead, these agencies are asking for direct financial support.
For ongoing updates, please follow the URJ onย Facebookย andย Twitterย and consult theย #HurricaneHarveyย topic tag inย The Tent. To communicate with the URJ about any local needs or specific response questions, please emailย HarveyResponse@urj.org.
How You Can Help โ Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
For those in areas affected by Hurricane Maria, FEMA is recommending donating cash as the best. ย Click here to go to FEMA’s ways to help pageย to read why giving in this way has been deemed optimal at this time. There are also instructions on how to donate goods.
- United for Puerto Rico is recommended as one way to donate funds.
- The Jewish Federations have started a 2017 Hurricane Relief Fund, which supports efforts to help recovery after Maria.
NECHAMA
NECHAMA is a voluntary organization that provides natural disaster preparedness, response, and recovery services nationwide. Through the years we have brought comfort to disaster survivors by training and mobilizing thousands of volunteers to help communities after floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.
Our work is rooted in the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam (“repairing the world through acts of kindness”). We offer help to all people affected by disaster on the basis of need regardless of religious affiliation.ย We also welcome anyone willing to volunteer and serve others to join us.
Our collective work is not done in an effort to proselytize; rather we train, equip, and lead volunteers that assist disaster survivors in the spirit of goodwill and creating mutual respect among all people.
NECHAMA is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.
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Hurricane Harvey Volunteer Registration
can be found here.
Thank you so much for showing interest in our Hurricane Harvey response project in Texas! No special skills or previous experience is necessary, just a willingness to work hard for a good cause. Please fill out all information so we can register your interest in volunteering and find the best time for you to join us.
Please note that submitting this form DOES NOT guarantee a volunteer spot. DO NOT book ANY travel unless you have received an email confirming that you have a spot on this program.
Interested Residential Volunteers:
In general, we will be working from 8:30AM to 4PM, 6 days a week. Basic Accommodation, three simple meals on work days; and all the necessary support and logistics for you to have a positive and productive volunteer experience.
You must cover the cost of:
Travel to and from the program, and meals on your days off.
In the meantime, please check out our website (www.NECHAMA.org) and our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/NECHAMAjrtd/) to stay up to date with our operations and donate.
We will contact you as soon as possible!
In addition, please visit our webpage on Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria to find out more ways to help.
Justin Callis (he/him), our Cantorial Intern, is a fourth-year student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. He is the recipient of the Reuben Peretz Abelson Prize for dedication to Yiddish Song, the Temple Israel of Boston Cantorial Prize, and the Lee Gura Memorial Prize for Aptitude in Synagogue Choral Music.
Sarah Adams, viola, performs locally with the New York Chamber Ensemble, theย Claring Chamber Players, the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, the Friends of Mozart, and the Saratoga Chamber Players.
Violinist Michael Roth is a native of Scarsdale, NY and received his early musical training with Frances Magnes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. He attended Oberlin College and Conservatory, continuing his studies with Marilyn McDonald. At Oberlin, he won the Kaufman Prize for violin and First Prize in the Ohio String Teacher’s Association Competition. He completed his Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts where he worked with the distinguished American violinist and pedagogue Charles Treger and was a recipient of the Julian Olevsky Award.ย Mr. Roth is currently associate concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and has appeared in chamber music and as a soloist with the company, most recently in the debut of “Slice Too Sharp”, a ballet of Biber and Vivaldi violin concerti, and “After the Rain”, violin music of Arvo Part. In addition he is a member of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Principal 2nd violin of the Westchester Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra and the New York Pops. He was concertmaster of the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra for many years and often appeared as soloist there, as well as at the Caramoor and Bard Music Festivals. He has played and toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the New York Chamber Soloists.
Known for his sweet and โsumptuousโ (New York Times) tone, American-born Doori Na took up violin at the age of four and began his studies with Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He quickly made his first performance with orchestra at age seven with the Peninsula Youth Symphony as the first prize winner of the concerto competition. Thereafter Mr. Na went on to win top prizes in The Sound of Music Festival, The Korea Times Youth Music Competition, the Chinese Music Teacherโs Association, The Menuhin Dowling Young Artist Competition, The Junior Bach Festival, VOCE of the Music Teacherโs Association of California, and The Pacific Musical Society. Receiving full scholarships to private high school Crossroads School of Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica, he moved to Los Angeles to study with renown violin teacher, Robert Lipsett, at The Colburn Music School. There he appeared as soloist with the Palisades Symphony, Brentwood Symphony, and Torrance Symphony. During that time, the summer of 2004 was Mr. Naโs first time at the Perlman Music Program where his expression and musical identity were greatly influenced. He has been a part of the program ever since and participated in many of their special residencies in Florida, Vermont, New York, and Israel.
Alan Goodis is a touring Jewish musician playing over 150 events a year. Born and raised in Toronto, Alan is a proud product of URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute. Noted for his dedication to building relationships and community through music, Alan tours throughout the US to serve as an Artist-In-Residence and performer at Temples, Youth Conventions and Jewish summer camps.
Julie Silver is one of the most celebrated and beloved performers in the world of contemporary Jewish music today. She tours throughout the world, and has been engaging audiences with her gorgeous compositions and liturgical settings, her lyrical guitar playing, her dynamic stage presence, and her megawatt smile for over 25 years.
Dan is a product of the URJ Jewish camping movement. He has toured Jewish summer camps across North America for the last 15 years. A classically trained singer, Dan received his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of North Carolina. In 1995, realizing the potential of music to make powerful connections with Jewish youth, Dan established the Jewish rock band Eighteen. Since that time, Dan and Eighteen have released 13 albums. Songs like, Lโtakein, Bโtzelem Elo-him, Kehillah Kedoshah, Chazak, Sweet As Honey, and Asher Yatzar have become Jewish communal anthems throughout North America.
Naomi Less is an internationally celebrated singer/songwriter, ritualist and educator. Beloved for her warm smile and inviting presence, communities celebrate her imagination and innovation, tenderness and pizzazz! Her original music is sung in worship communities worldwide. Naomi serves as Co-Founder, Ritual Leader and Associate Director of Lab/Shul and is a leader in amplifying women’s voices through her work at Songleader Boot Camp and her Jewish Women Rock show on Jewish Rock Radio. Naomiadvocates for people struggling with fertility journeys as a performance artist and speaker for Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Challenges. Fun fact: Naomi and her husband wrote the song shine/Yivarech’cha, a Friday night blessing, specifically composed for URJ Crane Lake Camp, sung every Friday night in the dining hall.
Her destiny became obvious to Joanie Leedsโ parents when, at the tender age of 2, Joanie grabbed the performerโs mic at a party and belted out the entire songโTomorrowโ from Annie. Jaws dropped! No one could remember ever hearing a big voice like that coming from one so tiny and certainly no one would have thought she would one day earn a GRAMMYยฎ Award for her original music.
A composer, multi-instrumentalist, and prayer leader, Elana Arian is one of the leading voices in contemporary Jewish music. Elanaโs music is part of Jewish life across the globe, and her compositions are sung in spiritual communities, summer camps, and synagogues from Louisville to London, from Chicago to the CzechRepublic, and everywhere in between. Elana just released her fourth album of original music, The Other Side of Fear, and her compositions have been published in countless Transcontinental Music collections. Elana serves proudly on the faculty of Hava Nashira (Oconomowoc, WI), the Wexner Heritage Foundation (Aspen, CO), Shirei Chagiga (London, England), and as an instructor at the Hebrew Union College in New York, where she teaches in the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music. Elana has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood, and perhaps most memorably, five separate appearances at the (Obama) White House. She lives in New York with her wife, Julia, and their two daughters, Maya and Acadia.
Known for his unique, engaging, and deeply soulful approach, Noah Aronson is considered one of the most sought after Jewish musicians in North America, making over 65 community appearances each year.
There is a reason why Time Magazine has listed Michelle in their Top Ten list of Jewish rock stars.
Kol BโSeder has been composing and performing contemporary Jewish music since the early1970s. Rabbi Dan Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper met as college students; over the past 50years they have released numerous CDs and songbooks. With Debbie Friedman (z”l) and others, they forged a new musical sound for American Jewish camps, schools and synagogues. Their songs, such as “Shalom Rav,โ โModeh Ani,โ and “Lo Alecha,” have become traditionalJewish melodies around the world. They are delighted to be inaugurating their fiftieth anniversary celebration by appearing in support of URJ camps, where they first composed and incubated many of their early songs.
Rabbi Mira Weller (she/her) received her ordination at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles in May 2022. She studied Culture and Politics at Georgetown Universityโs School of Foreign Service and received her Masterโs in Jewish Education at the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at HUC-JIR. She is the proud recipient of awards for her studies in rabbinic literature, her work in Jewish education, and she was granted the Myrtle Lorch Pfaelzer-Monroe Pfaelzer Award for an Outstanding Female Rabbinical School Student (2022). Rabbi Mira speaks Hebrew and Spanish (so please practice with her!). She has a passion for uncovering new possibilities in the great wealth of our tradition and for making music inspired by Judaismโs many cultures. Her guilty pleasures include cupcakes, classical music, and philosophy.
New York bassist Roger Wagner enjoys a long and diverse career. As soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral bassist, Mr. Wagner has appeared on many of the world’s great concert stages.
Sarah Adams 
Leonard Bernstein described 
Praised by the New York Times as โirresistible in both music and performance.โ flutist, 
Margaret Kampmeier, 
Michael Roth
Our initiative for young children and their grown-ups provides a slate of offerings including Shabbat and holiday celebrations, music, classroom readiness programs, and new parent experiences. During the pandemic, we have leaned on $1m of seed funding for Sholom Sprouts established through this campaign as we offer age-appropriate virtual programs for our families with young children, who are the future of our community. We look forward to welcoming our littlest members and their grown-ups back to our new fifth floor, as well as hiring a Program Assistant to increase the capacity of Sholom Sprouts to grow. This program provides a crucial entry-point to the congregation and membership for young families.
